John Sahag, 53, Stylist Whose Cuts Became Stars, Dies

John Sahag, 53, Stylist Whose Cuts Became Stars, Dies

NYT
By ERIC WILSON
Published: June 26, 2005

John Sahag, a Manhattan hairstylist for many celebrities with a dry-cut
method that challenged the old routine of shampoo, rinse and repeat
at upscale beauty salons, died on June 15 at Calvary Hospital in the
Bronx. He was 53.

The cause was cancer, according to a statement released by the John
Sahag Workshop, the Madison Avenue salon where he developed his
signature technique of building texture by cutting hair in a series
of uneven layers, seemingly on blind intuition.

With his leather pants and unruly mop of hair he was often described as
the industry’s rock star. He created recent styles for the actresses
Jennifer Aniston and Debra Messing, but he is perhaps best known for
the boy cut he gave Demi Moore for the 1990 film “Ghost,” prompting
a trend of short, choppy styles for women.

“John was like the mad professor of hair,” said Edward Tricomi, owner
of the Warren-Tricomi salon, who along with Mr. Sahag advocated a shift
to dry-cutting in the late 1970’s because it gave greater command of
how a style would ultimately look.

“It was the difference from painting by numbers to sketching a haircut
by hand,” Mr. Tricomi said. “You didn’t cut a haircut, you felt it.”

Mr. Sahag, whose original name was Sahag Jamgotchian, was born on
Jan. 2, 1952, in Beirut, Lebanon. He was raised in Australia, where
he started sweeping the floor in a hair salon as a child. At 18 he
moved to Paris, where he learned his craft.

He opened his first salon in New York in 1985.

Mr. Sahag is survived by his father, Atum Jamgotchian; his mother,
Hatum; a sister, Mary; and three brothers, Hoveness, André and Jack.

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