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Owner of Incredible Creations salon, celebrity barber dies in crash

Tri-State remembers Ladevan Johnson
Posted at 11:18 PM, Sep 25, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-26 09:46:47-04

CINCINNATI -- He was a beloved local businessman, barber and stylist, serving celebrities from Cincinnati Bengals players to Bill Bellamy to 50 Cent.

Ladevan Johnson was owner of Incredible Creations salon in Over-the-Rhine. The 43-year-old died Saturday night after police said he lost control of his motorcycle and hit a pole and tree.

Those who knew him called him a visionary, inspiring and incredibly talented.

Johnson was the personal stylist for actor and comedian Gary Owen, a Cincinnati native who starred in “Daddy Day Care” and has been featured on BET.

"He convinced me to wear a bow tie at the Soul Train Awards one time,” Owen said. “I was like -- a bow tie? I put the bow tie on, and he flew out to Vegas with us and I got more compliments on that suit and that bow tie … I said, 'OK, this is my guy.' "

In addition to working as a personal stylist, Johnson was also the official barber of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Former Bengals player and Taft High School Football Coach Mike Martin said Johnson once gave a haircut to a student athlete who couldn’t afford one.

"He said, ‘Everyone needs to help out when we can, and this is what I do so I will take care of it.’ That was the kind of guy he was," Martin said.

Johnson's family has aGoFundMe page to help with funeral expenses.