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The pioneering Black hair care mogul who created Afro Sheen is dead at 99

NPR | By Jordan-Marie Smith,
Jeanette Woods
Published July 7, 2026 at 4:08 PM EDT

George E. Johnson, the entrepreneur behind Ultra Sheen and Afro Sheen, has died at 99. NPR remembers how he built an empire based on Black hair care and Black pride.

Copyright 2026 NPR
Jordan-Marie Smith
Jordan-Marie Smith is a producer with NPR's All Things Considered.
Jeanette Woods
[Copyright 2024 NPR]