George E. Johnson Sr., a legendary entrepreneur whose visionary cosmetics empire revolutionized the beauty industry and championed Black culture worldwide, has passed away. A spokesperson confirmed that the founder of Johnson Products Company died on Monday, July 6, in Chicago at the age of 99.

From humble beginnings in a Mississippi sharecropper’s shack to making history on Wall Street, Johnson’s life was an extraordinary blueprint of resilience, economic empowerment, and cultural pride.

Born in Richton, Mississippi, in 1927, Johnson moved to Chicago with his mother at a young age. He began working early as a shoe-shine boy before eventually finding a job as a production chemist for S.B. Fuller’s cosmetics firm in 1944.

In 1954, with just a $500 loan and the encouragement of his wife Joan and his brother, Johnson struck out on his own to establish Johnson Products Company. What started as a small venture targeting the Black men’s hair care market with “Ultra Wave” quickly transformed the entire landscape.

The company found massive success when it expanded into the women’s market with revolutionary products, beginning with the 1957 introduction of Ultra Sheen, a game-changing, home-use hair straightener.

In the late 1960s, the brand released Afro Sheen, an iconic product line that perfectly captured the cultural wave of the “Black is Beautiful” movement as the Afro became a prominent symbol of identity and pride.

Johnson didn’t just build a successful brand; he dismantled corporate color lines. In 1971, Johnson Products Company achieved a monumental milestone by becoming the first Black-owned company to be listed on a major stock exchange (the American Stock Exchange).

That same year, Johnson shattered another ceiling by becoming the first African American to serve on the board of directors for Commonwealth Edison. His business acumen and leadership eventually landed him positions on numerous prestigious boards, including MetLife, Northwestern University, and the Chicago Urban League.

Beyond the beauty aisle, Johnson recognized the vital importance of financial independence and cultural representation for Black Americans. In 1964, he co-founded Independence Bank, the first Black-owned financial institution to operate in Chicago in more than 30 years following the Great Depression.

His cultural impact expanded globally in the 1970s when Johnson Products became the exclusive sponsor behind Don Cornelius‘s nationally syndicated television dance and music show, Soul Train.