A pioneer in the natural hair care industry has died.

According to an obituary published by NV (New Vision in business) Magazine, Titi Branch, one of the co-founders of the wildly successful natural hair care line Miss Jessie's, died from an apparent suicide on Dec. 4. A family friend also confirmed to the Washington Post the 45-year-old entrepreneur has passed away.

Branch, and her sister Miko, are renowned for being trailblazers in the world of women who celebrate their curly and kinky hair. They found mainstream success with the launch of their original hair line Miss Jessie's in 2004, which became a huge hit in the curly hair market. Today their products are sold in major retail stores like Wal-Mart, CVS, Duane Reade, Walgreens and Target.

Titi and Miko also ran their own salon in Brooklyn, New York, which opened in 1997 with specializiation in styling and treating women with natural hair.

Miss Jessie's is also credited for helping to spread a new wave of enthusiasm among black, brown and natural women who flaunt curls and kinks. Some of the most popular products in the line include Miss Jessie's Curly Pudding, which Branch created at their salon. Other signature Miss Jessie's products include Curly Meringue®, Curly Buttercreme® and Baby Buttercreme®.

"Branch was not a chemist but a creative spirit who used her kitchen as her laboratory to create these products," reads the obituary.

The brand has also been endorsed by celebrities like award winning singer Marsha Ambrosius and Power 105.1 radio host Angela Yee.

The New York City native earned a degree in economics at the University of Maryland. Before landing major success in the hair industry, Branch worked as a field producer for WABC-TV and later launched a booking agency for hair and celebrity photographers called Icon Creative Artists.

She is survived by her parents, sister, nephew and her boyfriend Anthony Spadafora, who was her business partner in her last venture Maestro's Classic, a line of beard care products for men.