He was 84.

Arguably one of today’s most famous hair stylists, Nicky Clarke led tributes by calling Sassoon “iconic”.

“He was part of the original Cool Britannia, he is synonymous with that time,” Clarke added last night.

One of the most infamous hairdressers of his generation, Sassoon revolutionised haircuts, creating the “bob” hairstyle and developing his own line of hair care products.

One of his most famous clients was Mary Quant, designer and creator of the mini-skirt, which along with Sassoon’s styles dominated the London fashion scene through the Swinging Sixties. She called him the “Chanel of hair”.

Vidal Sassoon was born to Jewish parents in 1928. His father left soon after, as Vidal and his brother were sent to an orphanage as his mother could not cope.

In 1948, at the age of 20, Sassoon travelled to Israel to fight in the Arab-Israeli war. Upon his return to Britain, he worked for stylist Teasy Weasy Raymond, before opening his own salon in 1954. He also campaigned hard against anti-Semitism, even establishing a study centre for it in Jerusalem in the 1980s.

In a 1993 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Mr Sassoon described his approach to women’s hair: “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 is survived by his wife Rhonda and his three children.