Rockford and the Globe Share Beautiful Tributes to Virgil Abloh

So many loving words and images are being shared. While we mourn with his family, we find a little warmth in these tributes.

Husband, father, son...

Creator, designer, artistic director...

Getty Images for Qatar Museums

Rockford Boylan High School graduate, Class of 1998.

Upon hearing about his death, Bill Wilson the CEO of the company I work for, shared one of the reasons that 97ZOK was chosen to be part of the Townsquare Media Family.

"Truth be told, one of the reasons when we were picking which markets that I wanted Rockford was that it's Virgil’s hometown…he was a visionary and an inspiration for me. Be true to your thoughts and vision even when others question or don’t get it. He will be missed."

Getty Images for Qatar Museums

He lost his private battle with cancer on Sunday, November 28 at the age of 41.

Virgil was the artistic director of menswear at Louis Vuitton and founder of luxe streetwear label Off White.

MIAMI, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 29: The sign over the entrance to the Off-White store after the brands founder, Virgil Abloh died on November 29, 2021 in Miami, Florida. Virgil Abloh, the founder of the luxury brand Off-White and artistic director of men’s wear at Louis Vuitton, died on Sunday from cancer at the age of 41. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

He was loved by all who spent any kind of time around him. A man of great wisdom and a beautiful soul.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 05:(L - R) Edward Enninful, Virgil Abloh, Rosalia, Drake, John Donahoe, and Gabby Douglas attend the 2020 Tokyo Olympic collection fashion show at The Shed on February 05, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images)

PARIS, FRANCE - JUNE 21: Virgil Abloh and Rihanna after the Louis Vuitton Menswear Spring/Summer 2019 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on June 21, 2018 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Virgil Abloh: The Tributes

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 07: Model Kendall Jenner and designer Virgil Abloh attend the Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for New York Magazine)

John Mayer

"When I heard the terrible news that @virgilabloh had passed, I sat in silence and thought about him for a good while. The word that kept announcing itself was “delight.” He delighted the world with his art. It would have been all too easy to hide behind the inherent stinginess of “limited edition” culture, but Virgil found a way to bring everyone along on the ride, and did so by remaining generous, accessible and supportive to everyone around him, his millions of fans included. To be that constant a creative force while retaining one’s humanity is an ongoing effort, and Virgil remained true to that effort. It’s going to be hard to reconcile how someone that vital could be gone. Rest In Peace, Virgil. We knew a genius."

Lastly, the most touching tribute of all.

From Louis Vuitton

One more thing to take in, more so if you're shocked that Virgil kept his cancer battle private.