Louis Vuitton star designer Virgil Abloh dies after private battle with cancer

The artistic director of the Louis Vuitton men's collection Virgil Abloh passed away after fighting cancer for several years at the age of 41, the French owners of the fashion and luxury house LVMH announced.

"We are all shocked by this terrible news," LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault said in a statement.

“Virgil was not only a brilliant designer, a visionary, but also a man with a beautiful soul and great wisdom."

“The LVMH family joins me in this period of great sorrow and we all think of their loved ones after the passing of their husband, their father, their brother or their friend,” he added in the statement posted on the LVMH Twitter account.

The group said that he had been "struggling privately" with cancer for several years.

Abloh, famous for bringing streetwear to catwalk glitz, was the first black American creative director of the best French fashion house when he was chosen as artistic director of the Louis Vuitton men's collection in 2018.

LVMH also announced earlier this year that it will acquire a controlling stake in Abloh-created luxury streetwear brand, Off-White. LVMH took 60% of Off-White's capital and Abloh kept 40%.

Abloh addressed environmental and social issues in his work with Louis Vuitton, with anti-racist and anti-homophobic messages during his January parade in Paris. He said earlier this year that he planned to use his partnership with LVMH "to expand opportunities for diverse individuals and promote greater equity and inclusion in the sectors we serve.