George E. Johnson, founder of pioneering Black hair products company, dies at 99

George E. Johnson, the pioneering Chicago entrepreneur whose company transformed Black hair care in the US with brands ​including Afro Sheen, Ultra Wave and Classy Curl, died at age 99.

George E. Johnson, the pioneering Chicago entrepreneur whose eponymous company transformed Black hair care in the United States with brands ​including Afro Sheen, Ultra Wave and Classy Curl, died on Monday at age 99, according to a family statement.

Subscribe to read this story ad-free

Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.

The family said Johnson, “passed away peacefully at home at the age of 99, leaving behind an extraordinary legacy of entrepreneurship, faith, perseverance, philanthropy, and family.”

The New York Times, citing his second wife, Madeline Murphy Rabb, reported that ​Johnson died of a respiratory illness.