First gray hair gene found, plucked out of research

By Carina Storrs, Special to CNN

Updated 10:30 AM ET, Wed March 2, 2016

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One signature of George Clooney's look is his salt-and-pepper hair. In a recent interview with <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02ryvl0" target="_blank">BBC Radio</a>, Clooney said he will never dye his hair to fight off the appearance of aging. Click through our gallery to see more famously gray-haired celebrities.

Photos: Famously gray

George Clooney – One signature of George Clooney's look is his salt-and-pepper hair. In a recent interview with BBC Radio, Clooney said he will never dye his hair to fight off the appearance of aging. Click through our gallery to see more famously gray-haired celebrities.

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Singer Erykah Badu, 44, proudly debuted her graying locks in a <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/_-iq05K2Td/" target="_blank">candid selfie</a> in December 2015 with the caption "Body and brain have aged. My consciousness has witnessed this, Yet has not aged. This 'awareness' is who we are."

Photos: Famously gray

Erykah Badu – Singer Erykah Badu, 44, proudly debuted her graying locks in a candid selfie in December 2015 with the caption "Body and brain have aged. My consciousness has witnessed this, Yet has not aged. This 'awareness' is who we are."

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CNN's own Anderson Cooper, 48, started going gray at age 20. "You can, of course, dye," <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/08/16/going.gray/index.html?iref=newssearch">he wrote in 2005</a>. "Plenty of guys do, but if you ask me, you might as well advertise your desperation."

Photos: Famously gray

Anderson Cooper – CNN's own Anderson Cooper, 48, started going gray at age 20. "You can, of course, dye," he wrote in 2005. "Plenty of guys do, but if you ask me, you might as well advertise your desperation."

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Photos: Famously gray

Jamie Lee Curtis – Actress Jamie Lee Curtis, 57, stopped coloring her hair in 2000 and is known for her short, edgy, silvery haircut.

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Some might say Morgan Freeman's gray hair matches his famous voice. When Jimmy Fallon took the helm of "The Tonight Show," 78-year-old Freeman famously <a href="https://twitter.com/fallontonight/status/492717316472594432" target="_blank">warned </a> that he had "watched three or four people in this job go gray."

Photos: Famously gray

Morgan Freeman – Some might say Morgan Freeman's gray hair matches his famous voice. When Jimmy Fallon took the helm of "The Tonight Show," 78-year-old Freeman famously warned that he had "watched three or four people in this job go gray."

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Singer Emmylou Harris, 68, has been asked about her naturally gray hair many times over the years. During an <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/22/booming/a-full-circle-for-emmylou-harris.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0" target="_blank">interview with The New York Times</a> in 2013, she offered this advice: "Women should do whatever makes them feel good, but I do wish that we would accept our aging selves."

Photos: Famously gray

Emmylou Harris – Singer Emmylou Harris, 68, has been asked about her naturally gray hair many times over the years. During an interview with The New York Times in 2013, she offered this advice: "Women should do whatever makes them feel good, but I do wish that we would accept our aging selves."

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Actor Richard Gere, 66, has never been a fan of dying his hair, which started to go gray when the actor was married to model Cindy Crawford during the early '90s.

Photos: Famously gray

Richard Gere – Actor Richard Gere, 66, has never been a fan of dying his hair, which started to go gray when the actor was married to model Cindy Crawford during the early '90s.

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Nichelle Nichols portrayed Lt. Uhura in the original "Star Trek" TV series and films. Now 83, she's keeping her silver-gray hair in recent roles.

Photos: Famously gray

Nichelle Nichols – Nichelle Nichols portrayed Lt. Uhura in the original "Star Trek" TV series and films. Now 83, she's keeping her silver-gray hair in recent roles.

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Comedian Steve Martin, 70, was known for his graying hair during the early days of his TV and film career and it has been that way ever since.

Photos: Famously gray

Steve Martin – Comedian Steve Martin, 70, was known for his graying hair during the early days of his TV and film career and it has been that way ever since.

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