After Virgil Abloh’s tragic death on Sunday (Nov. 28), many of is celebrity peers and collaborators took to social media to share words of tribute and reflection for Virgil. The creative director of Louis Vuitton impacted many in hip-hop with his creative direction and inspiration. His battle with cancer, while documented, did not deter him from striving for his goals.
Yesterday morning (Nov. 29), Tyler, The Creator was the latest to dedicate an Instagram post to Abloh. In the caption, Tyler explained how he admired Virgil’s work like his custom G-Wagon and how he embraced his African roots: “Sir Abloh was a true geek about things. Passion seeped through everything he did. Whether a random set of songs we’ve never heard or what pantone the wing of a plane should be, he always meant it. My favorite project of his was that Benz G-Wagon. My eyes couldn’t comprehend what it was. My brain couldn’t fathom that it was real. But my body and spirit was overjoyed cause i didnt know we could do those type of things and THE N***A DID THAT! He kept upping it, every single time. Ahead. ABLOH. that strong African last name. few years back i started using more of my African last name OKONMA because of how regal Virgils felt.”
As he shared a photo of the G-Wagon, an early picture of Virgil from his youth and a wholesome photo of them two together, Tyler continued to explain how Virgil opened doors for many creatives, and always supported his friends: “Everything he did felt like he said ” hey over here, coast is clear” whenever i questioned things. now about a week away since we last spoke, that convo i thought was random holds so much more weight now. Sometimes, part of us sharing our wild ideas is to get approval from our peers to keep it pushing, but virgil was ALWAYS a cheerleader. For everyone. That hand of his opened doors, lead people in and tossed the keys outside for the next person to have. i wish i was able to see him see what his helping hand did for me. his spirit is around tho. i feel it. he’ll see it. i’ll keep pushing and trying things while leaving the door open. he’ll shake those pom-poms. we’ll keep that on loop. safe travels.”
Tyler’s post comes after other tributes from Kanye at Sunday Service, Drake, Lil Uzi Vert, Frank Ocean, Louis Vuitton and Kim Kardashian, just to name a few. It’s clear to see the impact Virgil made, and all the successful peers he influenced.
Check out Tyler’s touching post below.