Off-White founder Virgil Abloh dies aged 41: Fans pay tribute

Tributes for prolific fashion designer and Off-White founder Virgil Abloh are pouring in on social media after it was revealed he died aged 41 after a battle with cancer on November 28, 2021.

The Illinois native was working as artistic director of menswear for Louis Vuitton at the time of his passing. He was the founder of the Off-White fashion brand and worked closely with rapper Kanye West as well.

Abloh didn’t share his diagnosis of cancer in 2019, so news of his death came as a shock to many, with tributes coming from all over.

“RIP VIRGIL ABLOH,” Football star Kylian Mbappe wrote. “No one will forget the impact you had. God bless you my friend.”

K-pop group BTS shared a commemoration as well, calling the designer a “true creative genius.”

Besides being a massively successful designer and the first African American to be artistic director at a French luxury fashion house, Abloh also designed a number of iconic album covers.

Lil Uzi Vert, Kanye, Jay-Z, and more artists have him to thank for some of the most famous album artwork of the 2010s. Tons of fans will remember him through these works, which were all over Twitter in remembrance.

Abloh was described as a “genius” and one of the most creative people in the world. “RIP to a man that set the trends for modern culture,” one fan wrote, giving insight into just how much he and his work had an impact.

Virgil is survived by his wife Shannon Abloh and two children.