Famed British hairdresser Vidal Sassoon passed away Wednesday at 84 of an "unspecified illness" at his home, The Los Angeles Times' Andrew Blankstein reports. His family was there so this doesn't sound unexpected, but still, of course, quite sad.

Update: The LA Times now reports that Sassoon had leukemia. 

Original: Sassoon is famous for the iconic "wash and wear" cuts he created (think the "bob"), the product line with his name, his brief talk show, Mia Farrow's haircut in Rosemary's Baby, etc. Several obits are calling back to a 1993 quote he gave the Times explaining himself:

"My idea was to cut shape into the hair, to use it like fabric and take away everything that was superfluous ... Women were going back to work, they were assuming their own power. They didn't have time to sit under the dryer anymore."

He was the subject of a 2010 documentary that received a lot of notice at the TriBeCa Film Festival. Watch the trailer for the film as it gives you a good sense of how important he was in his industry: 

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