Body Shop Founder Anita Roddick Dies at 64

Anita Roddick, founder of the internationally-known cosmetics chain The Body Shop died suddenly on Monday evening after a massive brain hemorrhage at the age of 64.

Roddick's family issued a statement, explaining how she collapsed after complaining of a headache on Sunday evening:

"Gordon, Justine and Sam Roddick are very sad to announce that, after suffering a major brain hemorrhage, Anita Roddick died at 6.30 this evening at the age of 64. Mrs Roddick was admitted to the hospital's intensive care unit and her husband Gordon and two daughters, Sam and Justine, were with her when she died."

Roddick was well-known throughout the business community for not only her fine business sense, but also her passion for social change and environmental awareness.

A child of Italian migrants, Roddick opened the first Body Shop in Brighton (UK) in 1976 with the help of just a £4,000 loan. Her main ambition was to provide some income for herself and her two daughters while her husband was abroad. She decided that products should be natural, sold in reusable containers, and bear handwritten labels. And although not intentionally environmentally conscious at first, the Body Shop was going green just as a global green consciousness started to emerge.

Fast-foward to more than thirty years later, and the Body Shop is a true success, and the second most trusted chain in the UK. In 1984 when the Body Shop first hit the London Stock Exchange it was worth £8m, but by 2004 they had more than 77 million customers worldwide and were worth £300m.

Anita Roddick died at St. Richards Hospital, Chichester, UK, where she was surrounded by her family.