"Words cannot express the sorrow I feel on the passing of my friend"- Serena Williams pays tribute to late fashion designer Virgil Abloh

Serena Williams recently took to Instagram to pay tribute to her friend and fashion designer Virgil Abloh, who passed away on Sunday after a two-year battle with cancer.

Abloh and his fashion house, Off-White, have collaborated with Serena Williams on multiple occasions in the past to curate designs for her Grand Slam appearances. The celebrated designer also created Williams' look for the cover of Vogue magazine in November last year.

The video posted by Williams starts with a clip of her interacting with Abloh during a shoot for one of their projects followed by snapshots of their collaborations over the years. In the caption, Williams expressed her gratitude at having been able to work with Abloh.

"Words cannot express the sorrow I feel on the passing of my friend @virgilabloh," Serena Williams wrote on Instagram. "I will forever be grateful to have had the opportunity to witness such greatness, such genius and to feel the warmth of his smile. It was my honor to stand next to him. He lit up every room he walked into. May his beloved family and friends find comfort in knowing how profoundly his art impacted our culture, and us all. I will miss you."

For the 2019 Roland Garros, Abloh designed a black-and-white, striped outfit, which consisted of a miniskirt, a crop-top and a cape-like jacket. The outfit also featured the words 'mother', 'goddess' and 'champion' in French.

At the 2018 US Open, Abloh created two stunning one-shouldered dresses with a full tulle skirt in black and purple.

"It was so brave how he continued his life and work through the most difficult of circumstances"- Serena Williams' sister Venus on Virgil Abloh

Serena Williams' sister Venus Williams also took to Instagram to post a heartfelt message about the fashion genius. Venus revealed that Virgil Abloh had always inspired her to strive for more, and that his collections moved her to tears.

She also lauded his passion towards his craft and his efforts to "elevate the worlds of fashion, design and art."

"I’m devastated by the passing of @virgilabloh," Venus Williams said. "I love him so much. I always watched everything he did so closely and it inspired me to be better in everything I do. His collections literally brought me to tears because they were so connected, so beautiful and so inspiring."

"It was so brave how he continued his life work through the absolute most difficult of circumstances. I’m amazing how he continued no matter what to pursue what he loved and to bring opportunity to all, to open doors and elevate the worlds of fashion, design and art," she added.

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