Virgil Abloh, Off white founder dies of heart cancer at 41

Known by his label; LVMH Louis Vuitton and the Off White, designer Virgil Abloh, a leading fashion executive has died of cancer.

He was 41 when his death was announced on Sunday in a post to his Instagram account, as well as in a tweet by LVMH, the parent company of Louis Vuitton, where Abloh had been the men’s artistic director since 2018.

A statement from Abloh’s family on the designer’s Instagram account said Abloh was diagnosed with cardiac angiosarcoma in 2019, a rare form of cancer in which a tumour occurs in the heart.

Although Abloh chose to keep the diagnosis private.

"We are 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," LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault said in the tweeted statement.

"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. Through it, all, his work ethic, infinite curiosity, and optimism never wavered," the statement read.

In 2012 Abloh founded the streetwear brand Off-White, which is based in Milan.

 In addition, Abloh had long been the creative director for Kanye West.

The first African-American (Ghana) to be artistic director at a French luxury fashion house, he was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2018.

Having collaborated with Nike, air Jordan and designing the cover art for the Grammy award winning American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West’s ;album ‘Watch the Throne’

He leaves behind his wife, Shannon Abloh and his children Lowe and Grey but will be remembered for a lot of things including establishing the Virgil Abloh "Post-Modern" Scholarship Fund in 2020.

 Where Abloh raised $1 million for the scholarships, which will be managed by the Fashion Scholarship Fund to assist Black students.