Ally Van Tillo, the activist known for founding the UK Aids Memorial Quilt, has died at the age of 67. His death was caused by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The UK Aids Memorial Quilt is part of the world's largest community art project, originating in the US. It features quilted panels created by friends, partners, family members, or colleagues to commemorate those who died of Aids-related illnesses, aiming to combat stigma and homophobia.
Born Alastair Hume in Gourock, Renfrewshire, Van Tillo later moved to Edinburgh and attended George Heriot’s school. He opened his own gay bar, Key West, in Edinburgh in the early 1980s, where he first observed regulars becoming ill and dying.
He co-founded Scots Men, a newspaper focused on HIV and safer sex, and helped establish Scottish Aids Monitor, an HIV and Aids awareness charity. After visiting the US to learn about the Aids Quilt, he returned to Edinburgh to start the UK chapter.
Van Tillo received an HIV+ diagnosis in 1990 and openly discussed it on the BBC show Kilroy. He and his partner Ian Webb, whom he met in 1992, dedicated their lives to touring the Quilt across Britain, raising awareness and funds for HIV/Aids charities. They married in 2017.
His work was acknowledged with a display of the Quilt in the Turbine Hall of Tate Modern in 2025. In his final conversations, he continued to advocate for queer rights.