George Johnson, pioneer of Black hair care products, dies at 99, spokesperson says
Johnson built a Black-owned hair-care empire that reached $31 million in annual sales and became the first such company on the American Stock Exchange.
- George E. Johnson, founder of Johnson Products Company, died Monday of natural causes at his downtown condo, his son John Edward Johnson said.
- Starting in 1954 after being denied a $250 business loan, Johnson built his company into a multimillion-dollar enterprise, reaching more than $31 million in annual sales by 1974.
- Pioneering targeted marketing to Black audiences, Johnson sponsored the television show Soul Train and produced brands like Ultra Sheen and Classy Curl, driven by his impoverished upbringing.
- Following his 1988 resignation during a divorce settlement, the company changed hands multiple times, including a 1993 sale to Miami-based Ivax Corp. and a 2009 acquisition by a multiracial investor group.
- Johnson's legacy includes donating millions to help minority students attend college and publishing his 2025 memoir; he is survived by his wife Madeline Murphy Rabb and several children.
129 Articles
129 Articles
Black haircare pioneer George E. Johnson dies
George E. Johnson, the pioneering Chicago entrepreneur whose eponymous company transformed Black haircare in the U.S. with brands including Afro Sheen, Ultra Wave and Classy Curl, died Monday at age 99, according to news media reports.
George E. Johnson, architect of the Ultra Sheen empire, dies at 99
George E. Johnson, a hair care magnate whose rise from a Mississippi sharecropper’s cabin to the helm of a groundbreaking Black owned company reshaped an entire industry, died Monday at his home in Chicago. He was 99. His death was confirmed by his second wife, Madeline Murphy Rabb, who said the cause was respiratory illness. “Johnson Products became a fixture in homes and salons around the world and a source of pride throughout Black America,” …
Johnson was one of the first to develop hair products specifically aimed at Black consumers. He also helped the iconic program Soul Train flourish.
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