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 1:08 PM PDT

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.

Jordan-Marie Smith

Jordan-Marie Smith is a producer with NPR's All Things Considered.

Jeanette Woods