Artistic director for Louis Vuitton and Off-White founder, Virgil Abloh, Dies of Cancer

Virgil Abloh, the Louis Vuitton artistic director and founder of the Off-White fashion label, has kicked the bucket on Sunday of cancer, according to a post from his Instagram account

Artistic director for Louis Vuitton and Off-White founder, Virgil Abloh, Dies of Cancer

Revealing the news, the French fashion house’s parent company LVMH described Abloh as a “genius” and a “visionary”.

The US designer came to prominence as Kanye West’s creative director but later made history as the first African-American to lead Louis Vuitton.

Abloh was diagnosed with cardiac angiosarcoma – a rare, aggressive form of cancer – in 2019, but did not make the diagnosis public.

“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 read.

Artistic director for Louis Vuitton and Off-White founder, Virgil Abloh, Dies of Cancer

“Through it all, his work ethic, infinite curiosity and optimism never wavered.”

Abloh 41,  is survived by his wife, Shannon, and their two children.

Abloh was also big in the world of music, and as a prolific DJ, played at music venues around the world. As a longstanding collaborator of Kanye West, now known as Ye, he worked as a creative director for the rapper’s design agency Donda and designed some of Ye’s album covers. As an artist and furniture designer, he collaborated with the likes of Mercedes Benz on an art concept car and IKEA on a coveted range aimed at people moving into their first homes.

Artistic director for Louis Vuitton and Off-White founder, Virgil Abloh, Dies of Cancer

LVMH chief executive Bernard Arnault said: “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.”