Kim Vō — a renowned hairstylist to Hollywood stars such as Pamela Anderson, Paris Hilton and Gwyneth Paltrow — has died at the age of 55 after an eight-year battle with colon cancer.
Vō’s death was announced by his husband, Adeel Vō-Khan, whom he met in 2014, in a poignant Instagram post on Saturday. “My beloved husband, best friend, partner in life and business, Kim Vō, has taken his final breath,” the caption read.
Vō-Khan requested that donations be made to Vō’s eponymous foundation, as part of his final wish to continue the legacy and impact of the initiative made in support of “hair, beauty, and fashion creatives also affected by cancer.”
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The announcement was met with an outpour of messages from celebrities, artists, and longtime admirers of Vō. Tori Spelling, one of the colorist’s famed clients and close friend, wrote, “I’m so sorry he was such an amazing human. Filled with such light and love xo.”
Meanwhile, Nicky Hilton commented, “Sending so much love. He was such a kind and sweet person.”
Fellow stylist Adir Abergel added, “I’m so sorry. He clearly left such a beautiful impact. We always loved seeing each other and catching up. Sending love to the whole family.”
Throughout his career, Vō was revered for his talents as a colorist, collaborating with some of the most celebrated blondes in the business, from Paltrow to Britney Spears, Katherine Heigl and beyond. He first rose to prominence as the on-camera stylist for ABC’s “Extreme Makeover” before later premiering in an episode of the E! Daily 10 “Ambush Makeover” segment and serving as the color critic for Bravo’s “Shear Genius.”
In 2001, Vō opened his inaugural salon, B2V, in Beverly Hills after working at Cristophe and Privè. Seven years later, he debuted his namesake hair care line at Barney’s, a collection of products designed for color-treated hair and inspired by his Vietnamese roots. Vō, who immigrated to the U.S. in 1976, recalled his mother’s stories about his grandmother steeping her hair in boket, a bean collected in Vietnamese fields, and formulated 12 products with it in addition to soy, milk, seaweed, rice, silk and ME-10. The collection does not appear to be readily available today.
Vō-Khan and Vō opened their flagship salon on Robertson in West Hollywood in 2019, adding to the existing locations in Laguna Beach, Deer Valley and Beverly Hills. At one point, the business also operated inside the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas; however, the salon is no longer listed online. It’s also not certain whether the other three locations are still running.