In March 2020, Chavez was diagnosed with stage two pancreatic cancer. He had been experiencing severe pain in his abdomen that he initially attributed to heartbreak and depression following the death of his mother in December 2019.
Before having surgery to remove the tumor, he began chemotherapy in April to shrink its size. Chavez recovered from the treatment and survived the cancer for a short while.
“I was terribly sick but I healed. And yes, my hair and skin healed too! Both recovered,” he wrote on the website.
However, the cancer returned and claimed Chavez’s life, nearly three years after the first diagnosis – he was 66 years old.
“It is with immeasurable sadness that we announce that our beloved brother, uncle, cousin, and friend, Nick Chavez passed away today at his residence in Beverly Hills after a long and courageous fight against pancreatic cancer,” read the statement about his death.
The Nick Chavez Beverly Hills brand will be passed on to Robby LaRiviere, a fellow celebrity hairstylist who was Chavez’s pick to be the Global Beauty Ambassador for the brand. Moreover, LaRiviere was not only mentored by Chavez in “all product development and formulations” for the line but had also been a collaborator for it.
Chavez’s sister Sandra, who has been a part of Nick Chavez Beverly Hills since the beginning, would also be joining LaRiviere as the spokesperson for the haircare line.
