Kanye West Wipes His Instagram Following Virgil Abloh’s Death

It’s been reported that Ye and others close to Virgil knew that the designer was ill.

BYHayley Hynes
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It’s no secret that Kanye West is a man of strong emotion, and following the death of his dear friend Virgil Abloh yesterday, it’s likely that he’s feeling particularly devastated. Roughly 24 hours after the news broke, the “Off the Grid” artist has completely wiped all content from his Instagram.

Ye has not yet made a public statement regarding his loss, although he did dedicate yesterday’s Sunday Service to his long-time collaborator. Tributes from dear friends like Frank Ocean, Drake, Kid Cudi, and countless others have been pouring in, all of them detailing the kindness and ferocity with which the Louis Vuitton artistic director lived his life.

Kanye West Wipes His Instagram Following Virgil Abloh’s Death
@kanyewest/Instagram

If you’re a Kanye super fan, you may already know about his infamous falling out with the late 41-year-old after he took the job at LV. The two made up in 2018 and publicly squashed their beef in a heartwarming embrace at a fashion show. Since then, they seemed to have rekindled their bond, with Abloh making an appearance at Ye’s DONDA listening party in Chicago this summer.

According to TMZ, the father of four knew of his friends illness, despite the fact that it was kept from the public. The article notes that “those closest to him” were made aware of what was happening behind the scenes of Abloh’s busy, glamorous-looking life.

West’s estranged wife, Kim Kardashian, shared a heartfelt tribute to her friend this afternoon. “God doesn’t make mistakes. I know that but I still can’t help but ask why. Why Virgil?! Why him so soon,” she captioned a photo dump made up of fond memories. “Virgil – you were always so gentle, kind and calm. You somehow made time for everyone. We also talked about your superpower of calmness often.”


“You always gave so much of yourself to the world because you wanted it to be doper,” the reality star continued. “This one is hard to process. I can’t even believe I am writing this.” Kardashian then sent “so much love” to Abloh’s wife, Shannon, adding that his “legacy will live on forever through Shannon, Lowe and Grey.”

Read more of the heartfelt tributes to Virgil Abloh here.

[Via]


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About The Author
Hayley Hynes is the former Weekend Managing Editor of HotNewHipHop, she stepped down after two years in 2024 to pursue other creative opportunities but remains on staff part-time to cover music, gossip, and pop culture news. Currently, she contributes similar content on Blavity and 21Ninety, as well as on her personal blog where she also offers tarot/astrology services. Hayley resides on the western side of Canada, previously spending a year in Vancouver to study Fashion Marketing at Blanche Macdonald Centre and Journalism at Mount Royal University in Calgary before that. She's passionate about helping others heal through storytelling, and shares much more about her life on Instagram @hayleyhynes.