Victor Willis, Village People Lead Singer, Dies at 74 After ‘Aggressive Illness’

Victor Willis, a founding member of the iconic disco group the Village People, died at 74 Tuesday, one day before his birthday.

An announcement on his official Facebook page read, “It is with profound sadness that I must announce the death of my husband, VICTOR WILLIS. Victor passed away on Tuesday June 30, 2026 as a result of a short, but aggressive illness. The family request privacy at this time of great loss.”

Willis, the only original member still in the group, was its lead singer and co-wrote its three Top 40 hits — “Macho Man” (1978), “Y.M.C.A.” (1978), and “In the Navy” (1979) — as well as the lesser hit “Go West” (1979) with manager Jacques Morali.

Willis appeared as a cop in the novelty act, or sometimes as a naval officer.

When President Trump co-opted “Y.M.C.A.” for use at his political rallies, fans of the original group cried foul, citing the group’s origins as a glass-closeted gay entity that should not be associated with the GOP. Willis aggressively denied that the Village People’s work was gay-coded, in spite of lyrics like, “It’s fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A. / They have everything for young men to enjoy / You can hang out with all the boys... You can do whatever you feel,” and the fact that their most popular album was cheekily entitled “Cruisin’.”

Though Willis — who owned 50% of the group's most lucrative songs following a decisive court victory in 2015 — initially objected to Trump’s use of “Y.M.C.A.,” he later welcomed the use. By the time the Village People were performing onstage with Trump at his January 19, 2025, pre-inauguration rally, the Village People had become identified with the President’s MAGA movement.

Willis was born July 1, 1951, in Dallas, singing in church and moving to New York at a young age. He was in the original production of “The Wiz” on Broadway (1976) and recorded music ahead of meeting up with Morali.

Initially, Willis was the only member of the Village People — it was his voice only that was heard on “San Francisco (You've Got Me)” and “In Hollywood (Everybody Is a Star),” a pair of 1977 hits that inspired Morali to cast the rest of the group, choosing each performer and putting them into a different outfit — Willis was the cop, Randy Jones was the cowboy, Felipe Rose was the Native American, David Hodo was the construction worker, Alex Briley was the G.I., and the late Glenn Hughes was the leather man.

The Village People became an unlikely sensation in the final years of the disco craze, landing magazine covers and eventually starring in the ill-fated box-office bomb “Can't Stop the Music” (1980), which was released after the fad had peaked. Willis had already left the group, so did not appear in the film.

He rejoined the group briefly in 1982, left the following year, and disavowed the group’s music. Things turned around when he was allowed to regain a full 33% share of the songs he had written with Morali in 2012, eventually climbing to a 50% stake in 2015.

As of 2017, Willis hired new members and toured with the Village People.

Over the years, Willis had battled substance abuse, and was arrested for drug offenses and weapons possession. In 1997, he was charged after a woman claimed he had hit her and robbed her. He proclaimed himself in recovery in a 2007 public statement.

Previously married to Phylicia Rashad of “The Cosby Show” fame, he had been married to Karen Huff since 2007.