According to his respective fashion brands, Virgil Abloh, the artistic director of Louis Vuitton and the originator of Off-White, has died.

Virgil passed suddenly Sunday of cancer, an illness he’d been carrying and fought quietly for several years, according to Louis’ parent company, LVMH.

LVMH, Louis Vuitton and Off White are devastated to announce the passing of Virgil Abloh, on Sunday, November 28th, of cancer, which he had been battling privately for several years. pic.twitter.com/CytwZLvSFu

— LVMH (@LVMH) November 28, 2021

Bernard Arnault, the company’s CEO, adds, “We’re all stunned by this shocking revelation. Virgil was not just a brilliant designer and visionary, but he was also a lovely soul with a lot of wisdom. The LVMH family stands with me in this time of immense sadness, and we are all thinking about his loved ones who have lost their husband, father, brother, or friend.”

As we previously stated, Virgil was historic in the fashion world, as he was the first black guy to be appointed to lead LV’s look and vision in early 2018. He was a groundbreaking fashion designer and close friends with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian.

Virgil and Kanye had been arguing in previous years, which was hinted to in some of Kanye’s songs, but they put their differences aside for the 2018 Paris Louis presentation, where they embraced and stood together in front of the photographers.

Ye seemed irritated that Virgil had taken the Louis position instead of working exclusively with him at the moment.

Kanye & Virgil Moment in Paris. This is Beautiful. pic.twitter.com/sFybpiyqmn

— KKW MAFIA (@KKWMAFIA) June 21, 2018

According to TMZ, he and Virgil have remained close in recent years, and VA even visited one of Kanye’s ‘DONDA’ listening parties this year in Chicago. Not only that but Kanye was said to be one of the only people close to Virgil who was aware of his sickness.

Their friendship dates back to 2009 when Virgil was interning for Fendi and met the rapper/producer for the first time. He went on to found Off-White, which became a huge success.

The meteoric ascension of Virgil is unlike any other. He was only 41 years old when he died.

RIP