In Memory of Oribe Canales: Friends and Colleagues Share Their Memories of the Legendary Hairstylist

The beauty and fashion world felt a collective pang of grief yesterday at the sudden news of hairstylist Oribe Canales's passing. He was just 62 years old. Many of his friends, fans, and fellow beauty pros took to Instagram, their posts evoking a mix of shock, sadness, and sincere reverence for a man whose career in the industry spanned an unprecedented four decades.

Born in Cuba in 1956, Oribe emigrated to the United States as a child. You could say his life was the quintessential American dream, although I would argue that his story was the sexiest, glitziest, and most glamorous version of that dream we've ever seen.

He worked at some of the most prestigious salons in New York City  — at Garren's salon at the Plaza hotel in the late 1970s, then at Parachute Salon, followed by his own salon at Elizabeth Arden, which he opened in 1991. He collaborated with the biggest names in beauty and fashion — Azzedine Alaïa, Marc Jacobs, Steven Meisel, Carlyne Cerf du Dudezeele, François Nars — and with some of the biggest brands, dreaming up the hairstyles for Chanel, Versace, and Perry Ellis (including Jacobs's famous 1991 grunge runway collection). In 1999, Jennifer Lopez handpicked Oribe to style her hair for her debut album, On the 6, a move that put him on every Hollywood A-lister's radar. ("Thank God for Jennifer!" Oribe told Allure back in 2010.) Then, of course, there's his Miami salon and eponymous hair-care line, coveted by professional hairstylists all over the world. Years after its initial launch, his Dry Texturizing Spray is still considered one of the best styling products of all time.

"His talent was way beyond, but he was also like a sponge," hairstylist and longtime friend Garren says of what made Oribe so exceptional. "When he was excited to work with someone and to learn from someone, he would take it and go with it. He also worked hard and earned who he was." But hard work and raw talent weren't the only secrets to Oribe's astronomical success. A quick scroll through even just a handful of those tribute posts on Instagram and it's clear that Oribe was one of the most convivial people in the business. "He was adored by everyone he worked with — the models absolutely loved him — and he had fun with everybody," adds Garren.

It's why we felt that the best way to honor Oribe was to hear from the people who loved and knew him best. Below, some of his closest friends, collaborators, and admirers remember the man who, in his lifetime, made the world a whole lot more beautiful.

Linda Wells, founding editor in chief of Allure, Revlon chief creative officer:

"It’s no coincidence that Oribe rose to fame when the supermodels did. He was super, too — in his approach to hair, in his personal style, in his fidelity to luxury and excess. He made everyone and everything he touched — including the supermodels — bigger and better: more beautiful, more feminine, more glamorous. His heart and his generosity were outsize, too.

"I first met Oribe in the ’80s at the Parachute Salon, which was sort of monastic and monochrome. It was incongruous with his style, but I didn’t know that then. When he opened his salon at Elizabeth Arden in 1991, it was pure, over-the-top Oribe. I remember a giant chandelier and a single salon chair like a throne. There seemed to be miles of burgundy velvet and acres of gold. At the opening party, the model Vendela, wearing leopard-print Azzedine Alaïa, was carried into the room by a throng of bodybuilders who may have been shirtless and may have been oiled. Oribe stood in the center of the room like a conductor or a king. Rumor had it that this was the most expensive salon ever created, which makes perfect sense.

"When Jennifer Lopez made her leap into celebrity, she cannily called Oribe to create her look. It was a brilliant move. Genius, as Oribe would say. If Oribe gave her a ponytail, it was longer and thicker than any human ponytail. If it was an updo, it was high and mighty. He rarely went anywhere without suitcases full of hair extensions. He called them his puppies.

"Later, he reinvented hair-care products, bringing luxury and excess to items that in other hands were drugstore basic. That hair spray in the gold-and-black can with a scent developed by Givaudan? It’s almost fetishistic. And when is hair spray ever, really, that? Women would spray it on their roots and their pulse points, like a fine fragrance.

"Oribe made the ordinary glamorous, and the glamourous extraordinary."

Garren, hairstylist:

"I've known Oribe since he was 16 years old. He was friends with an interior designer who brought him to my house in Buffalo, New York, while I was visiting my family. Oribe was still living in Miami, and this friend asked if Oribe could possibly do hair. I said that he should go to hairdressing school and see if he likes it. So he went through school, and he got a New York license. I had just opened my salon at the Plaza, so Oribe came to New York and I had him do a couple test haircuts and blow-dries and I decided to hire him and put him on the floor. He kind of assisted me, but he wasn't an assistant in the sense he was shampooing hair; he was more doing fashion shows and photo shoots with me, back when we had more than a few models to do.

"After working with me he went to Parachute Salon, and then he started working with Steven Meisel, who made him more of a celebrity. Then he began working with [stylist] Carlyne Cerf, and he got to do Versace and Chanel and all the fashion shows and opened his salon on Fifth Avenue at Elizabeth Arden. That was a big to-do because I had my salon at the same time at Henri Bendel. I feel like he was my firstborn as far as a  hairdresser who has succeeded and became a legend in his own right — known for sexy, beautiful, big, glorious hair.

" I think his legacy is going to be that he was one of the greatest talents in hairdressing. He wasn't just one-note; he was many notes. He adapted his hairdressing according to the times, to what was happening in fashion. Not only was he extremely talented, but he had good connections with the fashion designers and with all the great photographers and stylists and makeup artists he worked with, which elevated him. He was able to create this amazing product line, which he launched amidst the recession, and hung on and held onto his values, and it became a success, and that's an incredible achievement in and of itself, just to keep going.

"He was a real friend. I just had dinner with him six months ago. It's very rare that hair people hang together and know each other and remember where they got started, and that's one thing he never, ever forgot."

Paul Cavaco, fashion stylist and former creative director of Allure:

"Oribe started in the very early ’80s, and he’s done everything: Versace; Vogue; he worked with Steven Meisel. The unpublished Meisel/Azzedine Alaïa shoots that keep popping up on the Internet and have this mystical thing attached to them — Oribe was the hairdresser. All those hairstyles Jennifer Lopez wore at the beginning of her career, when she had a different look for each video — that was all Oribe. There are a lot of things that are part of our collective hair language today that we don’t even realize are his work.

"When you speak to people about him, pretty much everyone will say that he was so nice and that having him on set was wonderful. He was so full of energy and life and happiness that when you were around him, you were just as joyful as he was.

"He was also a really good hairdresser. You knew that he was going to be able to create something for you. He could also keep shifting, which I think is a mark of a great hairstylist, although no matter what he did — shoots, celebrities, his product line — he remained himself. He was always that sweet, funny person, and while he certainly went through rough moments, he always came out of them.

"He was an exceptionally happy person — I mean, he was Latin and you saw that, and he was proud. He liked glitz, and he liked the glamour. He didn’t go contrary to it because that was the way he was. You know, sometimes we move away from the thing that we’re thrown to in fashion because we don’t want to get pigeonholed. But he never shied away from it."

Bobbi Brown, makeup artist:

"For many years I worked full-time as an on-set makeup artist. And you always knew that if Oribe was going to be at the shoot, you were doing something important. He was a real hairdresser. He really understood hair texture and cuts and knew exactly what to do for every job. Everything was very serious in the ’80s and ’90s — it wasn’t the days of retouching. Every little detail had to be perfect. And Oribe would just stand on set with hair spray and pins and a couple of combs and do these miraculous things. The models loved him. He was a warm, wonderful man, a beautiful soul. And he was very funny. There were always great stories, and he talked about his family a lot. When I got married in 1989, he drove three hours to New Hope, Pennsylvania, and did my hair. That was his wedding gift to me.

"Oribe taught me so much. He was always very involved on set — in the hair, but also in the makeup and the clothes. I really trusted his opinion, I cared about his opinion. We only ever had one disagreement. We were backstage at a fashion show; I can’t remember the designer. He decided the models should have sideburns and took out a pencil and started drawing on their cheeks. I was like, ‘Hey, that’s my face!’ His response: ‘They’re sideburns — that’s part of the hair.’ The designer stepped in, and the sideburns didn’t last. But Oribe had strong opinions, which is something I admire. And if he was involved in a project, the work would always be epic. He was a true talent. A legend."

Sandy Linter, makeup artist:

"When Oribe walked into the shoot, we all knew we were going to have a great day — he was a special person and always loved by everyone on set. He was so confident and charming. I worked with him often with Elizabeth Hurley, and she called him the "great Orb." She loved him. He put so much effort into his work and truly raised the bar. It was genius.

"I can see him now. It was 1999. We were on a location in Saint Bart's for an Estée Lauder shoot with Elizabeth. I see Oribe being driven to work by Zaki, his longtime partner. He looked exactly like Elvis — shades and cigarette. He made an entrance. He was the king of hair, and he knew that. He was kind and graceful. When he worked, he’d sweat, just like a performer — just like Elvis, actually. His longtime assistant, Judy Erickson, was on all his New York City shoots. She’d arrive first and do his setup. Oribe would arrive a bit later, kiss the personality, and discuss the hair with the client. I’ll bet many times he was as famous as his famous clients. A great man."

Chrisanne Davis, makeup artist:

"I had just arrived in New York City from London in the early ’90s. I needed a haircut, and a friend said he knew someone at the Oribe salon and he would make an appointment for me. Jonathan, who cut my hair, was Oribe's assistant, and his station was right next to Oribe’s, who was there cutting a woman’s hair. She had come armed with a stack of magazines which she had flagged with “inspiration” pages for Oribe and was explaining what she didn’t want. I was so appalled that I immediately began screwing up my face at him through the mirror showing my horror. We started giggling, not letting his client know of course. That is something Oribe never would have done — he was always the consummate gentleman. When his client left, he came over and chatted with us. He asked me what I did for a living. 'I'm a makeup artist,' I said with air quotes. He then replied, 'I want to introduce you to my friend François Nars.' Well, I began assisting François the next week, which of course was the most magical thing that could ever happen to me.

"Oribe opened doors to me at a level that many would never be lucky enough to walk through, simply because he believed in me. He introduced me to the best in the business, invited me to join his agency, made us all laugh uncontrollably with his humor, pushed us all to be better and do more — just by being in the presence of his enormous talent. But mostly he inspired me every day with his grace, kindness, and generosity of spirit."

Fulvia Farolfi, makeup artist:

"Hair for Oribe was a look, a dream. It was never unkempt. Sure, he could do 'cool.' He could do anything. But it was always fabulous. It was just enchanting to watch him work — the way his hands moved, and then the amazing results. There was no ego, no sneakiness, no agenda with Oribe. He was as kind and funny with the assistants as he was with the models and photographers. When we were on set together, we were just two people working toward one goal — to get a beautiful photograph. He was a real partner. He didn’t need to prove anything because he had it--majorly amazing talent."

Ro Penuliar, former bookings director at Allure:

"Heartbroken over the loss of this amazing man. My first encounters with Oribe were when I was still a model agent at Elite and I was a client at his salon at Elizabeth Arden. I’d see him there sometimes, and his presence and warmth lit up the entire place. He even once told me I had good hair. When I was working at Allure, I was always honored and thrilled when I could book him for shoots. He made everyone laugh and never failed to give you a genuine smile and hug. Oribe on set felt like home. His genius was as expansive as his heart and love for his work and the people with whom he worked. Oribe was a consummate gentleman and an energetic goofball. I’ll love and miss him forever. There is an Oribe-shaped hole in all the hearts and lives he touched."

Mally Roncal, makeup artist:

"It’s obviously undeniable the impact that Oribe had on the beauty industry — and style as a whole — but the man and artist that I knew was way more than that. I first met Oribe working with celebrities like Celine Dion and Jennifer Lopez. While these jobs could be a bit of a whirlwind at times, working alongside him made every day a joy. You were always excited when you knew that Oribe would be on a shoot. You knew that you were going to have fun, obviously have iconic hair, and it would be sprinkled with a little bit of naughtiness and a whole lot of laughter.

"Oribe affected me in so many ways. He showed me that you could have enormous talent and style, be absolutely gorgeous inside and out and still be humble, supportive, kind, and hilarious. I will miss him so much, and he will forever have a lasting impact on my life and the beauty world."

Deborah Lippmann, manicurist

“He was one of the greatest people I’ve ever known. One of the most talented, hilarious, and best team players I’ve worked with. He gave me so much guidance in my life and in my entrepreneurial career. Oribe was extraordinarily gifted and had a love for life, for what he did, and for people that was so contagious and inspiring to me. It’s an enormous loss not only to our community but to the world — and I consider myself one of the luckiest people to have known him.”

Sam McKnight, hairstylist:

"The word 'icon' is overused, misused, and misunderstood these days. Oribe was the real thing. His work is instantly recognizable and will be an influence for decades to come. When the next generation of hairdressers are scouring whatever the replacements for Google and the Internet are for references, Oribe super sexy deluxe manes will be there. Now that’s a legacy."

Chris McMillan, hairstylist:

"I got the chance to work alongside Oribe once: It was for an Estée Lauder commercial. He was there to do Elizabeth Hurley, and I was there to do the extras. I had met him before, but you know, hairdressers don't get to work with hairdressers and to meet him, that was my kryptonite. I was so nervous. I can work with famous people, I don't care about that, but to meet Oribe ... I was more starstruck than anything in the whole wide world. We did extremely beautiful hair on everyone — and I will never forget him coming to me and asking, 'How did you do that French twist? There's not a hairpin in sight.' He was always very complimentary and supportive. He wasn't this bitchy hairdresser who wouldn't share his secrets.

"Oribe did what we knew but made it bigger and more modern. I remember when he launched his product line. I went to go watch him present, and he was fearless. He was like, 'Pile the hair on, and if there's not enough hair, pile more hair on.' What I learned from him was the bigger the better, because you can always bring it down, and also to believe in what you're doing, and to never compromise."

Elle, manicurist:

"Oribe's talent and artistry were from something out of this world. His talents were beyond just technical skill, but rather his passion created magic. That intangible technique and skill wasn't something that could be taught, but anyone who had the honor to be touched by him, whether in his chair or on his set, could gain a little bit of that energy and joy. I’m honored he gave me the venue and the path to mold my career."

James Pecis, hairstylist and Oribe global ambassador:

"Oribe was an icon and inspiration for me to pursue an editorial career, and he has touched so many others. Oribe is everything you would imagine a true superstar hairdresser could be in the fashion industry. A true hair hero has passed, but his influence on the beauty industry will live forever. He will be incredibly missed."

Daniel Martin, makeup artist:

“Oribe was a master of his craft and being in his presence was an honor. I had the opportunity to work alongside him when I finished assisting, and he treated me as a peer — cracking jokes and making me feel at ease (because he knew I was nervous). I will never forget his kindness that day."

Oribe Canales, Legendary Hairstylist and Longtime Allure Contributor, Has Passed Away 7 Things You Didn't Know About Oribe