Body Shop Founder Dies

The founder of ethical cosmetics company Body Shop died Monday night after suffering a major brain hemorrhage at the age of 64.



Body Shop founder Anita Roddick poses for photographers on Thursday, Dec. 11, 1997 in London. (AP / Dave Thomson)

Dame Anita Roddick died at 6:30 p.m. local time at a hospital in Chichester, southern England, her family said in a statement.

Her husband, Gordon, and daughters Sam and Justine were all with her when she died.

"Anita Roddick was admitted to St. Richard's Hospital in Chichester, close to her home, yesterday evening when she collapsed after complaining of a sudden headache," reads the family statement.

Roddick announced in February that she had contracted Hepatitis C from a blood transfusion in 1971. She said she had lived with the virus for three decades, and only found out about it two years ago after a blood test.

She campaigned to get Hepatitis C, referred to as the "silent killer," to be considered a serious "public health challenge".

Roddick was dubbed the "Queen of Green" for her environmentally-friendly, animal cruelty-free business practices. She established the first Body Shop in Brighton in 1976.

The company has grown into a highly profitable, global phenomenon, blossoming into nearly 2,000 stores in 50 countries. The Body Shop became part of the French company L'Oreal Group last year, but remains independently run.

Roddick and her husband stepped down as co-chairpersons of the company in 2002, but she continued to contribute as a consultant.

In 2003, Queen Elizabeth II made Roddick a dame -- the female equivalent of knighthood -- in recognition of her contribution to business and charity.

Greenpeace Executive Director John Sauven called Roddick an "incredible woman" who will be "sorely missed.''

"She was so ahead of her time when it came to issues of how business could be done in different ways, not just profit motivated but taking into account environmental issues," Sauven said.

Roddick said she opened her first Body Shop store intending to simply make a living and help provide for her two daughters while her husband was trekking across the Americas.

"I had no training or experience and my only business acumen was Gordon's advice to take sales of 300 pounds a week," she wrote.

She said her company's trademark green colour came by accident -- it was the only colour that could cover the mould on the walls of her first shop.

With a report from The Associated Press