U.S. designer Virgil Abloh, a leading fashion executive hailed as the Karl Lagerfeld of his generation, has died after a private battle with cancer. He was 41.

Abloh’s death was announced Sunday by the luxury group LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton) and the Off-White label, the brand Abloh founded. Abloh was the men’s wear designer of Louis Vuitton.

“We are all shocked after this terrible news. Virgil was not only a genius designer, a visionary, he was also a man with a beautiful soul and great wisdom,” Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive of LVMH, said in a statement.

A statement