Circumstances of the death, including the cause and place of death, were unclear. The family could not be reached for comment, and L’Oreal declined to make any statement.
Klarsfeld had overseen the fragrance businesses of L’Oreal’s licenses with Giorgio Armani, Cacharel, Guy Laroche, Lanvin and Paloma Picasso and handled brand development outside the U.S. for Ralph Lauren since 1991, when he was named to the top post of L’Oreal’s Prestige et Collections division. He is credited with turning Armani into a major international fragrance brand and rebuilding Lanvin’s business.
Klarsfeld was considered a quick-thinking, media-savvy chief. Last year, he set a new standard for so-called “sibling scents” with a lighter version of Giy called Acqua di Giy. It was an instant international success.
He revved up sales of aging blockbusters, including Cacha-rel’s Loulou and Laroche’s Drakkar Noir, by bringing in talents like Jean-Baptiste Mondino to create innovative media campaigns. Mondino said Tuesday that what he admired in Klarsfeld was his willingness to take risks and take the responsibility, a quality that he says is uncommon in large companies.
“He carried every project at the top,” Mondino said. “He was on the front line, and he was not scared of that. That is a great, great quality. His death reminds us that there is a very fragile part to all of us.”
Charismatic and outgoing, Klarsfeld had powerful associates in industries outside beauty. Yet, he was known for his generosity in helping less-high-profile friends.
Lindsay Owen-Jones, L’Oreal chairman and chief executive officer, said in a statement: “I am deeply shocked and saddened. I have known George well for nearly 20 years and have always felt a special affection for him. I will truly miss his sensitivity, his talent and his enthusiasm. His disappearance is a great loss for the company but also for his many, many friends.”
“I’m deeply saddened by the news of George Klarsfeld’s untimely death,” Giorgio Armani stated.”We have always had a very close working relationship, and he was a very open, kind, intelligent man.”
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In an industry and a company not lacking for stars, Klarsfeld was an early standout. He joined L’Oreal in 1974 and by the early Eighties had become the youngest marketing director ever appointed at its French mass market unit. He ran the mass market business in the UK and later commanded the cosmetics and perfume division at Cosmair in the U.S., where he also launched Plenitude.
Surviving are his wife, the fashion photographer, Pamela Hanson; two sons, Nicholas and Charles, and his father.