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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.
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George E. Johnson Sr., Black Hair Care Pioneer and Soul Train Sponsor, Dies at 99 | EURweb | Black News, Culture, Entertainment & More
George E. Johnson Sr. – screenshot *George E. Johnson Sr., the trailblazing entrepreneur who built one of America’s most influential Black-owned companies and revolutionized the Black hair care industry, has died. Johnson passed away Monday at his home in Chicago at the age of 99, his family confirmed in a statement to ABC News. Best known as the founder of Johnson Products Company, Johnson turned a modest $250 loan into a multimillion-dollar en…
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Total News Sources20
Leaning Left5Leaning Right0Center11Last UpdatedBias Distribution69% Center
Bias Distribution
- 69% of the sources are Center
69% Center
L 31%
C 69%
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