As the tributes continue to pour in for Virgil Abloh, his close friend Kanye West decided to do something special.
Hours after Abloh was announced to have died following a private two-year battle with cardiac angiosarcoma, an aggressive form of cancer, Ye enlisted his Sunday Service choir to honor his late collaborator.
Ye revealed Sunday that his choir would meet via a livestream, which he posted a link to in his Instagram story in the afternoon. As usual, the performance was moving, with singers debuting a fresh take on Adele’s No. 1 hit “Easy On Me” as well as some other cuts. And as things wrapped up, the stream displayed a message in honor of the creative legend.
“In loving memory of Virgil Abloh, the creative director of Donda,” the message read.
Virgil and Ye have a long history together, dating back to their first encounter via a Chicago print shop in the early ‘00s. In the years since, Abloh has designed some of Ye’s most iconic album covers, such as My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Yeezus, as he secured his place as the creative director of Louis Vuitton Men’s and Off-White, and revolutionized fashion in the process. The pair’s friendship was on full display at the end of Abloh’s first Louis Vuitton Men’s show in Paris in 2019, when they embraced in a warm hug.
“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,” a post from Virgil’s official Instagram page reads.
He’s survived by his wife Shannon, his children Lowe and Grey, his sister Edwina, and his parents Nee and Eunice.
