Rommy Hunt Revson (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Kolb; February 15, 1944 – September 7, 2022) was an American nightclub singer and creator of the

scrunchie A scrunchie (or scrunchy) is a fabric-covered elastic hair tie used to fasten medium to long hair types. The elastic hair tie is encased in loose fabric that forms a ruffle when twisted around a ponytail. Large, elaborate styles and diminutive, u ...

Early years

Revson was born in 1944 in

White Plains, New York White Plains is a city in and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, and a commercial hub of Westchester County, a densely populated suburban county that is home to about one milli ...

. She worked in the 1970s and 1980s as a singer in Manhattan nightclubs. She was also a voice teacher and songwriter. While working as a singer, she met

Revlon Revlon, Inc. is an American multinational company dealing in cosmetics, skin care, perfume, and personal care. The headquarters of Revlon was established in New York City on March 1, 1932, where it remains. Revlon was founded by brothers Charle ...

cosmetics heir John Revson. After a six-year courtship, they were married for a year.

The scrunchie

In 1986, Revson invented the

, a hair accessory used to hold the hair in a pony tail. Revson invented the scrunchie while preparing for job interviews and trying to protect her brittle hair after having it bleached. She created the scrunchie out of soft fabric to avoid damaging her hair with elastic bands or plastic clips. She received a design patent for the invention. The invention, originally known as the "Scunci", was named after Revson's pet poodle. It later became known generically as the scrunchie. Revson began a business to market her Scuncis and had $20 million in orders in the initial months. Unable to keep up with demand, Revson's business failed. She thereafter licensed her patent for manufacture by others. By the time her patent expired in 2001, more than two billion Scrunchies had been sold. Revson made $1 million a year in royalties from the scrunchie for more than 12 years.

Personal life and death

Revson was married and divorced four times and had one son. At the time of her death, she was a resident of

Wellington, Florida Wellington is a village west of West Palm Beach in Palm Beach County and north of Miami. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area and the fifth largest municipality in Palm Beach County by population. As of the 2020 census, the village had a po ...

. On September 7, 2022, Revson died in

Rochester, Minnesota Rochester is a city in Olmsted County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. It is located along rolling bluffs on the Zumbro River's south fork in Southeast Minnesota. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a popul ...

, at age 78, from a

rupture Rupture may refer to: General * Rupture (engineering), a failure of tough ductile materials loaded in tension Anatomy and medicine * Abdominal hernia, formerly referred to as "a rupture" * Achilles tendon rupture * Rupture of membranes, a "water ...

in the

ascending aorta The ascending aorta (AAo) is a portion of the aorta commencing at the upper part of the base of the left ventricle, on a level with the lower border of the third costal cartilage behind the left half of the sternum. Structure It passes obliqu ...

. She died at a hotel room near the

Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic () is a Nonprofit organization, private American Academic health science centre, academic Medical centers in the United States, medical center focused on integrated health care, healthcare, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science ...

, where she was undergoing medical treatment for

Cushing's disease Cushing's disease is one cause of Cushing's syndrome characterised by increased secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) from the anterior pituitary (secondary hypercortisolism). This is most often as a result of a pituitary adenoma (spec ...

and

Ehlers–Danlos syndrome Ehlers–Danlos syndromes (EDS) is a group of 14 genetic connective-tissue disorders. Symptoms often include loose joints, joint pain, stretchy velvety skin, and abnormal scar formation. These may be noticed at birth or in early childhood. Co ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Revson, Rommy Hunt 1944 births 2022 deaths 20th-century American inventors 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers People from White Plains, New York Singers from New York (state) People from Wellington, Florida People with Ehlers–Danlos syndrome