Celebrity stylist and industry trailblazer Trevor Sorbie, whose iconic wedge cut transformed the aesthetic of the 70s, “passed away peacefully with his family and beloved dog by his side” at 75 after battling bowel cancer, his salon announced on Nov. 8.
The Scottish-born Sorbie was awarded British Hairdresser of the Year four times and counted Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Grace Jones, and Helen Mirren among his celebrity clientele.
In 1974, while working as Vidal Sassoon's Art Director in London, Sorbie introduced the wedge cut — a shape achieved by detailed graduation from angular fullness on top, tapering to a teardrop at the nape.
He continued to influence hair styles worldwide for decades, originating the scrunch-drying technique that helped popularize voluminous natural texture in the 1980s, and creating punk-rock razor cuts such as the spiky “Wolfman” for the likes of Sting, Johnny Rotten, Siouxsie Sioux, Adam Ant, and Annie Lennox.
Sorbie launched eponymous salons in the U.K., along with the Trevor Sorbie product line and hairstylist training courses. He founded My New Hair, a nonprofit that trains hairstylists to support people living with cancer and medical hair loss, including cutting and styling their wigs.
He was the first hairstylist awarded the prestigious Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2004.
Sorbie was forced into retirement in 2023 after years battling bowel cancer. During his last television appearance, on ITV’s This Morning alongside his wife Carole, he revealed his cancer had spread to his liver and they were preparing for him to have “a good death” within the next few weeks.
Following his wishes, there will be no funeral. In lieu of flowers, his family is requesting contributions to four charities: Marie Curie, Cancer Research UK, Rowans Hospice, and My New Hair.