Frank Ocean and Drake lead tributes to Virgil Abloh

Kanye West, The Weeknd, Pharrell Williams, and more have all shared messages of condolence.

November 29, 2021
Frank Ocean and Drake lead tributes to Virgil Abloh PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP

Frank Ocean is among a raft of high profile stars reacting to the death of Virgil Abloh. The beloved designer passed away on Sunday after a private battle with cancer. He was 41.

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Ocean wrote about his relationship with Abloh, as well as touching on the loss of his younger brother in 2020, via a rare update on his @blonded Instagram account.

"In 2018 I believe it was I called V and asked him how it was possible to play hundreds of shows a year and do numerous fashion collections a year and be a father and a husband and return EVERYONE’s texts with enthusiasm and emojis and encouragement and seemingly.. with ease," Ocean wrote in a story post. "I cannot remember how he responded verbatim but I’m sure it was quotable whatever he said,” Ocean continued. “He was always quotable. But the gist of his response was that he was interested in living and living to the maximum extent of his level… which proved to be Impossible today because he was BEYOND."

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Abloh's influence across the worlds of fashion, music, and beyond was clear to see with messages coming from the likes of Westside Gunn, Donatella Versace, and French soccer player Kylian Mbappe. Drake said he would love Abloh "eternally" while Kanye West marked the loss during his November 28 Sunday Service performance, with the choir dedicating a cover of Adele's "Easy On Me" to the late designer.

See below for a round-up of tributes.

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Frank Ocean and Drake lead tributes to Virgil Abloh