Sy Sperling, Founder of Hair Club for Men (and Also a Client), Dies at 78

Mr. Sperling married Susan Weisman on Sept. 28, 1997. It was his third marriage.

In 2000, Mr. Sperling sold his company to a private-equity firm for $45 million. It was eventually acquired by the Japanese company Aderans, which offers hair-loss treatments. In a statement about Mr. Sperling’s death, the Hair Club called him “a visionary with an immense passion for business, innovation and helping others.”

Mr. Sperling, who resided in Hillsboro Beach, Fla., is survived by his wife, Susan Sperling; his daughter, Shari Sperling; his son, Andrew; and his sister, Rosalie Slute.

In the interview with The Journal, Mr. Sperling said he decided to leave the company because “it was time to smell the roses.” For the next 20 years, he lived in what he called semiretirement, hosting a radio show, giving speeches and helping run a charity, the Hair Club for Kids, that gives hair to children who have lost their own because of chemotherapy, alopecia or other conditions.

In those public events, he never appeared with anything less than a full head of hair — though he acknowledged that male baldness was no longer considered the blemish it used to be.

But Mr. Sperling held firm to the end, his publicist said: “He always remained a Hair Club client.”

Jacey Fortin contributed reporting.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/20/business/sy-sperling-dead.html