Victor Willis, the lead singer and founding member of the Village People, died at the age of 74 after a brief illness.
Willis co-founded the legendary disco ensemble in 1977 alongside French producers Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo.
He co-wrote the band's massive global hits, including Y.M.C.A., Macho Man, and In the Navy.
Victor Willis, the frontman and founding member of the Village People, passed away at the age of 74 on Monday (June 30).
The band's official Facebook page announced Victor Willis' death via a statement. The message read, "We are profoundly sad to announce the death of VICTOR WILLIS, lead singer of Village People. Victor passed on Monday June 30, 2026 of a short but aggressive illness. Privacy is requested."
Willis is survived by his wife, Karen-Huff Willis.
The man behind Village People
Willis helped establish the iconic disco ensemble in 1977 with French producers Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo. The Texas-born musician co-wrote the band's massive global hits, including Y.M.C.A., Macho Man and In the Navy.
The ensemble featured six members. Each embodied a specific American macho-man persona. Willis performed as the Policeman or Naval Officer. The other original members were Felipe Rose (The Native American), Alex Briley (The Soldier/Sailor), Glenn Hughes (The Biker/Leatherman), David Hodo (The Construction Worker) and Randy Jones (The Cowboy).
Willis exited the group in 1980. He returned briefly in the 1980s and rejoined permanently in 2017.
Story behind YMCA
Willis clarified that the origin of the band's most famous track, which was later covered by Boy George, was to help raise awareness of marriage equality. Willis told News.com in 2017, "It was not written to be a gay song because of the simple fact I’m not gay."
He said, "I wrote it about hanging out in urban neighbourhoods in my youth. ‘You can hang out with all the boys’ was a term about me and my friends playing basketball at the Y."
Willis added, "But I wanted to write a song that could fit anyone’s lifestyle. I’m happy the gay community adopted it as their anthem, I have no qualms with that."
The will to never give up
Willis told the San Diego Tribune in 2015, "The lesson is: Never give up. You can’t worry about how long it takes. You have to keep the faith, and — hopefully — it will work out for you. You just have to hang in there."
He wanted to leave a specific mark. "I hope to be remembered as that guy who got out of the music business, but never gave up, and came back — came back successfully — and did something for people to smile about," he said.
