London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 01, 2025

Virgil Abloh dies: Kanye West, Pharrell and Drake lead tributes after death of 'genius' designer aged 41

Virgil Abloh dies: Kanye West, Pharrell and Drake lead tributes after death of 'genius' designer aged 41

Pharrell called the late designer a genius, Gigi Hadid wrote he will be deeply missed, and an array of other celebrities said they were heartbroken by Abloh's death.

Kanye West, Rihanna and Drake are among many celebrities paying tribute to US fashion designer Virgil Abloh, who has died at the age of 41 after a private battle with cancer.

The influential Louis Vuitton menswear designer and founder of fashion label Off-White was diagnosed with cardiac angiosarcoma - a rare, aggressive form of cancer - in 2019, the design house's parent company LVMH revealed on Sunday.

Abloh first came to prominence as rapper West's creative director but later made history as the first African-American to lead French luxury brand Louis Vuitton.


West paid tribute to him with a message on the website of his creative agency Donda, which showed a grey background with the words: "IN LOVING MEMORY OF VIRGIL ABLOH THE CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF DONDA."

West's Sunday Service choir performed a cover of Adele's Easy On Me which was livestreamed in his honour on Sunday, according to NME.

Their cover was a reworked version of the song's original lyrics, with the choir singing "Go easy on me, father, I am still your child, and I need the chance to feel your love around" in the chorus.

Abloh was often hailed as one of the most influential designers in the fashion industry but was also a DJ, artist and had degrees in civil engineering and architecture.

He was a DJ at house parties through college, later playing internationally including in Ibiza and Las Vegas.

A first-generation Ghanaian American whose seamstress mother taught him to sew, Abloh had no formal fashion training but gained success with groundbreaking fusions of streetwear and haute couture.

Drake shared a series of photos of himself with Abloh and said: "My plan is to touch the sky 1000 more times for you… love you eternally brother. Thank you for everything."

"My heart is broken," musician and producer Pharrell said.


"Virgil you were a kind, generous, thoughtful creative genius. Your work as a human and your work as a spiritual being will live forever. Sending love and light to your wife, children, family and day ones. You're with the Master now, shine."

Supermodel Gigi Hadid said he "will be deeply missed, cherished, and celebrated by me and all the people and industries that have been lucky enough to work around & know the true supernova behind this man".

She added: "I picture him now like our Mickey Mouse .. forever with us, forever adored, forever magical, forever guiding us."

"RIP Virgil, you did so much for all of us and showed me so much love early on," British rapper AJ Tracey tweeted. "Thank you for everything, so sad."

Justin Timberlake called him a "force" that was "taken too soon", adding: "You gave the world so much, in so little time. And created with intensity… knowing better than the rest of us that life is short, but anything is possible.

"I'm honored to have known you. Thank you for sharing your gift with us."

Virgil Abloh was the first African-American to become Louis Vuitton's artistic director


Rihanna shared a photo of the designer from her Instagram Stories.

American musician Questlove wrote on Instagram: "The teachable lesson here is disrupt. Provoke. Be controversial. Push buttons. Be a conversation piece…. live as a true artist."

A statement on Abloh's Instagram page said that throughout his illness his "work ethic, infinite curiosity and optimism" never wavered.

It said he was driven by "his dedication to his craft... his mission to open doors for others and create pathways for greater equality in art and design".

Abloh's final Louis Vuitton collection, titled Virgil Was Here, will be presented in Miami on Tuesday.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×