Digital Media Center
Bryant-Denny Stadium, Gate 61
Box 870370
920 Paul Bryant Drive
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0370
205-348-6644

© 2026 Alabama Public Radio

Donate/Portal

Play Live Radio

Next Up:

0:00

0:00 0:00

Available On Air Stations

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 3:08 PM CDT

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

News from Alabama Public Radio is a public service in association with the University of Alabama. We depend on your help to keep our programming on the air and online. Please consider supporting the news you rely on with a donation today. Every contribution, no matter the size, propels our vital coverage. Thank you.

Donate