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Victor Willis, pb vocalist of the disco radical Village People whose deed "Y.M.C.A." became a fixture astatine rallies for President Trump, has died, his woman and the set said successful Facebook posts connected Wednesday. He was 74.
"It is with profound sadness that I indispensable denote the decease of my husband, VICTOR WILLIS," Karen-Huff Willis said successful a statement on the musician's Facebook page. "Victor passed distant connected Tuesday June 30, 2026 arsenic a effect of a short, but assertive illness."
The set shared a similar statement connected its Facebook page.
The Texas-born instrumentalist was a co-founder of the Village People and co-wrote hits including "Y.M.C.A," "In the Navy" and "Macho Man" that swept the world's dancefloors successful the precocious 1970s.
With their flamboyant costumes and choreography, the radical became a popular civilization phenomenon, targeting disco's ample cheery assemblage with campy phantasy characters of butch builders, bikers, cowboys and soldiers.
Willis near the radical successful 1980 but rejoined successful 2017.
Angel Morales, Victor Willis (center) and J.J. Lippold of Village People execute during Riot Fest astatine Douglas Park connected Sept. 15, 2019 successful Chicago, Illinois.
Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Redferns/Getty
He struggled with cause addiction and took a plea woody implicit cocaine possession successful 2006.
"I got precise depressed implicit the years and decided to conscionable driblet disconnected the map. So I got into drugs," he told the San Diego Union Tribune successful 2015.
"Y.M.C.A.," whose lyrics impulse "young men" to caput to the Young Men's Christian Association successful New York, became an anthem for the LGBTQ assemblage and beyond.
But immoderate accidental the opus has been co-opted by the American close helping question pursuing its usage astatine rallies and events supporting Mr. Trump.
"I don't endorse Trump, I've ne'er endorsed Trump, nor has the Village People," Willis told the BBC successful 2020. "But due to the fact that of the copyright laws successful the United States, he's capable to play our euphony immoderate clip helium wants to."
The band performed "Y.M.C.A." astatine a Trump rally successful January 2025, earlier the Republican was inaugurated for his 2nd word arsenic president.
"Let's springiness President Trump a chance, careless of what you whitethorn person thought astir him successful the past," Willis said astatine the time. "Let's spot what he's going to bash moving forward, and if helium does things to restrict LGBTQ rights, Village People volition beryllium the archetypal to talk out."
In 2012, erstwhile Willis was distant from the group, a judge ruled the vocalist could reclaim astatine slightest partial ownership of the copyrights to much than 2 twelve of the their songs, including "Y.M.C.A.," "Macho Man" and "In the Navy." The solution paved the mode for his instrumentality to the radical successful 2017, BBC News reported.
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