Every industry has its’ legend, someone who stands apart from the rest in a revolutionary manner that advances it to legendary stature. For the Hair Industry, that was Sy Sperling. 

Sy Sperling

Sy Sperling

Seymour Sperling was born on June 25, 1941, in the Bronx, New York. He was the son of a plumber. He worked in sales early on in his career but became frustrated with his changing middle-aged physique and ongoing hair loss, that started in his early twenties. 

Unlike most of us, he decided to do something about the thing that made him feel the most insecure. Sy hated the stigma associated with men’s hair loss. He started a hair loss salon with his girlfriend, who was a hairdresser. He was determined to change how men viewed hair loss and let them know it was okay to do something about it.

Sy Sperling - Hair Club For Men Founder

Sy Sperling – Hair Club For Men Founder

What made Sy Sperling different from everyone else? He found a way to become relatable and down to earth. He was not an actor and had no on-camera experience, but he stepped out of his comfort zone to share his biggest insecurity with others. He, alone, de-stigmatized men’s hair loss with a simple late-night commercial. His infamous line, “Remember, I’m not only the Hair Club president, but I’m also a client.”, did more for the hair loss industry than anything before or after. Sy never stepped away from his statement. According to his publicist, he remained a Hair Club client for his entire life, even after selling the business. 

Sy was also a wonderful friend to The Hair Society. He not only allowed us to do an in-depth interview with him, but we also carried on with a featured column called Sy’s Corner. 

Seymour Sperling died at the age of 78, on Wednesday, February 19, 2020, in Boca Raton, Florida. He had been ill for a long time.  He is survived by his wife Susan Sperling; his two children, Shari and Andrew; and his sister, Rosalie Slute.

We will miss him greatly. The entire Hair Industry has lost a legend. We owe so much to this brave, humble and giving man. Sy, your memory lives on every day as we continue to help others feel good about themselves. Thanks for being our trailblazer!


Lisa Stewart

Contributing Editor, Lisa Marie Stewart, has 40 plus years of writing, marketing, creative development, Editor-in-Chief, and Creative Director experience. Initially studying journalism and English, and ultimately received a Business Administration and Management B.S. degree with honors.

Ms. Stewart has authored, managed and directed teams at Fortune 500 companies to create corporate policies and procedures, human resource guides, emergency preparedness manuals, technical instructions, articles, newsletters, internal company magazines, retail store transition instruction guides, change orders, year-end financial brochures, website content, social media blogs, and posts.

Additionally, Lisa hosts her own YouTube channel entitled: Living My Best Life