Off White founder, fashion designer Virgil Abloh dies at 41 of cancer
PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 05: Virgil Abloh wears a white shirt, a black tie with 'A Formality' slogan, a black blazer jacket with multicolored buttons embroidered, black flared suit pants, a gold watch, butterfly sunglasses, outside Louis Vuitton Parfum h
NEW YORK - Designer Virgil Abloh, a leading fashion executive hailed as the Karl Lagerfeld of his generation, has died after a private battle with cancer. He was 41.
Abloh's death was announced Sunday by the luxury group LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy) and the Off White label, the brand Abloh founded. Abloha was the men’s wear designer of Louis Vuitton.
"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," Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive of LVMH said in a statement.
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A statement from Abloh's family on the designer's Instagram account said for the last two years, Abloh battled cardiac angiosarcoma, a rare form of cancer in which a tumor occurs in the heart.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 13: Virgil Abloh attends 2021 Costume Institute Benefit - In America: A Lexicon of Fashion at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on September 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
"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.
Abloh is survived by his wife Shannon Abloh and his children, Lowe and Grey.