Home / Health / AIDS Quilt Founder Ally Van Tillo Dies at 67
AIDS Quilt Founder Ally Van Tillo Dies at 67
14 Sep
Summary
- Founded the UK Aids Memorial Quilt, part of a global art project.
- Dedicated life to raising awareness and funds for HIV/Aids charities.
- Lived to see his work recognized with a 2025 Tate Modern exhibition.
Ally Van Tillo, the pioneering founder of the UK Aids Memorial Quilt, passed away at the age of 67 following a battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Van Tillo established the UK chapter of this significant global art project, which commemorates individuals lost to Aids-related illnesses and serves as a powerful symbol against stigma and homophobia.
His activism began in Edinburgh in the early 1980s, where he witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of the HIV/Aids virus. He co-founded Scots Men newspaper and Scottish Aids Monitor, early efforts in raising awareness and promoting safer sex. Inspired by the US Aids Quilt conceived by Cleve Jones, Van Tillo organized workshops and exhibitions in Edinburgh, eventually visiting the US to learn the formal quilt-making process.
Upon returning to Edinburgh, Van Tillo tirelessly worked to establish the UK chapter, often with personal sacrifice, and lived openly with his own HIV+ diagnosis since 1990. He famously appeared on the BBC's Kilroy show to confront prejudice. In 1992, he met Ian Webb, and the couple became lifelong partners and advocates, touring the Quilt across Britain.
After Ian's declining health in 1995, Van Tillo stepped back from Quilt leadership to care for him. Advances in combination therapies allowed them both to live full lives with HIV, and they married in 2017, taking the surname Taylor. Van Tillo's work was honored with the quilt's exhibition in Tate Modern's Turbine Hall in 2025, a recognition of his profound impact before his passing.
