Victor Willis, a founding member and the frontman of the Village People, died Tuesday at age 74. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo
Victor Willis, a singer and the co-founder of the popular disco group Village People, has died.
The singer-songwriter died Tuesday as “a result of a short, but aggressive illness,” his wife, Karen Willis, said on Facebook. He was 74.
The Village People official Facebook page also shared the news.
Willis performed as the frontman of the Village People, who released such hits as “Macho Man,” “In the Navy” and “Y.M.C.A.” during the height of their popularity in the late 1970s.
The group embraced archetypes of masculinity, with Willis and his bandmates often dressing up on stage as police officers, cowboys, construction workers and more.
After “Y.M.C.A.” had a resurgence due to Donald Trump using the song at his presidential rallies, Willis said in 2024 that he “simply didn’t have the heart” to oppose him.
Trump paid tribute to Willis in a social media post Wednesday, calling him “a great and happy guy.”
Notable deaths of 2026
Victor WillisThe original lead singer and co-founder of the Village People Victor Willis gestures after ceremonies honoring the Village People with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles on September 12, 2008. Willis died June 30 at the age of 74. Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo
