Virgil Abloh, popular CEO of Off-White and Louis Vuitton Artistic Director has died from cancer at the age of 41.
The news of his death was made public in a statement from his verified Instagram account and a tweet by Louis’ parent company, LVMH on Sunday.
According to the statement by his family, Abloh, who is survived by his wife, Shannon and their two children Lowe and Grey, had been diagnosed with cardiac angiosarcoma in 2019 but decided to withhold the diagnosis from the public.
“We are devastated to announce the passing of our beloved Virgil Abloh, a fiercely devoted father, husband, son, brother, and friend. He is survived by his loving wife Shannon Abloh, his children Lowe Abloh and Grey Abloh, his sister Edwina Abloh, his parents Nee and Eunice Abloh, and numerous dear friends and colleagues,” the Instagram post read.
“He chose to endure his battle privately since his diagnosis in 2019, undergoing numerous challenging treatments, all while helming several significant institutions that span fashion, art and culture”.
The statement from LVMH reads: “LVMH, Louis Vuitton and Off White are devastated to announce the passing of Virgil Abloh, on Sunday, November 28th, of cancer, which he had been battling privately for several years.
In 2018, Abloh became the first man of African descent (an African-American from Ghana) to become the Artistic Director at LVMH. He was in the same year featured by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Abloh is famous for being the long time Creative Director for Kanye West, and he partnered with Air Jordan and Nike to design the cover art for the Grammy award-winning American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West’s album ‘Watch the Throne’.
The announcement of his death was trailed by tributes from many people who took to their social media accounts to credit his impact in the entertainment and fashion industry.
LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault wrote, “We are all shocked after this terrible news. Virgil was not only a genius designer, a visionary, he was also a man with a beautiful soul and great wisdom. The LVMH family joins me in this moment of great sorrow, and we are all thinking of his loved ones after the passing of their husband, their father, their brother or their friend.”
British Vogue Editor-in-Chief Edward Enninful described Abloh as someone who opened “the door to art and fashion for future generations, so that they – unlike himself, would grow up in a creative world with people to mirror themselves in.”
Harlem couturier Daniel Day, known as Dapper Dan in a tribute post on Instagram, said “His (Abloh) march took him to the top of luxury fashion. Virgil started out as a foot soldier but died a general.”
Virgil Abloh undoubtedly made a significant impact on this world and will always be remembered. May he Rest in perfect Peace.
