Fashion designer Virgil Abloh dies at 41 after privately battling ‘rare, aggressive form of cancer’ for 2 years

Fashion designer Virgil Abloh has died at age 41 after a long, private battle with cancer, the luxury goods group LVMH has announced. In addition to founding the Off-White fashion house in 2012, the U.S. creative talent had served as artistic director of menswear for Louis Vuitton since 2018. 

On Sunday, Nov. 28, LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault issued a statement sharing that Abloh had died that day from cancer, “which he had been battling privately for several years.”

He continued, “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.”

A statement posted to Abloh’s own Instagram account shared more about his cancer diagnosis.

“For over two years, Virgil valiantly battled a rare, aggressive form of cancer, cardiac angiosarcoma,” it 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.

Born in Illinois to Ghanian parents, Abloh studied civil engineering and architecture before blazing new trails in the fashion world. After collaborating with fellow Chicago local Kanye West on various creative projects, Abloh founded Off-White and soon built a celebrity following with his use of typography. In 2019, he designed Hailey Bieber’s wedding dress, which featured “Till Death Do Us Part” in his trademark quotation marks on the veil. 

An artist and DJ as well as a designer, Abloh shared two children, Lowe and Grey, with wife Shannon.