Goodbye Vidal Sassoon. Rest in Peace!

國際知名的美髮師沙宣去世，享年84歲。

Vidal Sassoon on BBC Radio 4 "Desert Island Discs", October 2011

The news of Vidal Sassoon's death last night came as a surprise to me although he was diagnosed with leukemia in 2009. The London-born hairdresser who became an international household name, died in Los Angeles in his home. He was 84.
But tributes this morning from hair experts, friends and compatriots around the world are hardly surprising for a man who had given so much to the world of hairdressing and revolutionalised since the 1960s the way we do our hair today.
Sassoon invented the geometric bob. He was known for creating the "wash and wear" 5-point hairstyle that was immortalised by the iconic British fashion designer Mary Quant, and was also responsible for Mia Farrow's short crop for her role in the Roman Polanski 1968 movie "Rosemary's Baby".

According to the WWD (Women'swear Daily) this morning, Bumble and bumble founder Michael Gordon, who produced the documentary “Vidal Sassoon: The Movie,” spoke with Sassoon Tuesday morning shortly before Sassoon was scheduled for a chemotherapy session. “He said, ‘I’ve lived with dignity, and I’d like to die with dignity,’ and he did,” said Gordon, who added that Sassoon made hairdressing cool, but he stressed Sassoon’s legacy extends beyond the hair industry. “Anybody can become hugely important if they really have the drive, and he had the drive. He’s an inspiration in general. It doesn’t have much to do with hairdressing, that’s just what he ended up doing,” he said.
John Paul DeJoria, chief executive officer and co-founder of John Paul Mitchell Systems, was supposed to have dinner with Sassoon Monday night, but Sassoon canceled because he was too tired. “Vidal Sassoon was the most famous hairstylist in the history of the world,” said DeJoria. Angus Mitchell, co-owner of John Paul Mitchell Systems and the late Paul Mitchell’s son, added, “Vidal was a lifelong inspiration, mentor and friend. Vidal was not only instrumental in revolutionizing and commercializing hair in the West, but he kept hair as an art form intact.”
Last October, I heard Vidal Sassoon as a castaway on the popular BBC Radio 4 programme "Desert Island Discs" in which he told host Kirsty Young that he was proud of his achievements, especially for someone who came from a modest background.  He said:" I've had the best adventure you could possible have, for a kid that started from nowhere."
Goodbye Vidal Sassoon.  Thank you and may you rest in peace.