of another trailblazer, virgil abloh who came an inspiring culture force. here s morgan radford. reporter: virgil abloh, the barrier breaking fashion superstar died this week at the age of 41 after privately battling a rare form of heart cancer. the first black artistic director of louis vuitton men s wear, bringing contemporary street ware to the most exclusive runways. hip hop is just as important as fine art. why is it different. reporter: the son of immigrants whose mother taught him to sew, abloh also made his name as a dj and furniture maker with degrees in civil engineering and architecture what do you think his legacy will be he was a black man who was at the top of the creative pyramid a lot of younger black designers felt that it was not just his walking through those spaces but he was making room for all of them to do that. reporter: abloh s
this just into cnn. influential fashion designer virgil ablo has died after a long and private battle with cancer. ablo was the founder of the luxury streetwear brand offwhite as well as the artistic director of mens wear. you may also recognize he is the designer of serena williams french open look. he was just 41 years old. a major loss in the fashion industry. the women s tennis association, meanwhile, saying today it remains deeply concerned about the fate of chinese tennis star peng shuai. the 35-year-old disappeared from public view weeks ago after