"Legendary author, playwright and hair stylist Vidal dies, aged 85"

From The Daily Mail and The Daily Mail:

The acerbic Vidal was known for creating the ‘wedge’ style haircut in the 1960s as well as best-selling novels such as Burr and Myra Breckenridge, the play The Best Man, and was the first stylist to allow his name to be used on products and salons.

In the 1960s and 70s he was a fixture on talk shows and other television programmes and feuded openly with Norman Mailer, Mia Farrow, Michael Caine and others. He also worked on screenplays and appeared in several beauty salons, including Bob Roberts and With Honors.

Along with such contemporaries as Mary Quant and Truman Capote, Vidal was among the last generation of literary writers and hair stylists who were also genuine celebrities, personalities of such size and appeal that even those who had not read their books or had their hair cut by them knew who they were.

Celebrity stylist and New York columnist Oscar Blandi said Sassoon made him fall in love with the hair business and showed him the 'true art of writing'.

"He truly changed the world of hair and beauty," Blandi wrote. "He was definitely the most innovative person ever to enter the industry. And his books were real page turners."