Victor Willis, the Village People lead singer who co-wrote hits including “Y.M.C.A.” and “Macho Man,” died on Monday. He was 74.
The group announced Mr. Willis’s death in a short statement posted to social media and said the cause was “a short but aggressive illness” but provided no further details.
The Village People became global stars in the 1970s by singing in the garb of sexualized male stereotypes, with Mr. Willis often wearing the helmet and outfit of a police officer.
John Rockwell, reviewing one of the group’s performances for The New York Times in 1979, said that Mr. Willis was the group’s one “overt musician” and that he brought “a husky gospel fervor” to the band’s high-camp disco songs.
Although the Village People had widespread popular success in the late 1970s, with “Y.M.C.A.” reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and “In the Navy” hitting No. 3, Mr. Willis recently become more of a divisive figure because of his association with President Trump, who regularly plays the group’s music and has appeared onstage dancing with the band.
Last year, Mr. Willis wrote at length on Facebook to explain why the band would perform at an event for President Trump’s second inauguration. The group’s performance was not an endorsement of Trump’s policies, he wrote, “no matter what you say to the contrary.” But, he said, the group’s members believed that music should be shared across the political spectrum “and not preserved for one political side.”
At the time, Mr. Willis was the only original member of the Village People still performing with the group.
In 2024, Mr. Willis also made headlines when he threatened to sue media outlets who described “Y.M.C.A.” as a gay anthem. He wrote on Facebook that he didn’t mind gay people adopting the song, the lyrics of which include a call to “hang out with all the boys.” However, he said, he held the news media to a higher standard. When he wrote the song, Mr. Willis added, he had no knowledge of homosexual activity at Y.M.C.A. establishments.
Regardless of its use at political rallies, “Y.M.C.A.” has long been a cultural touchstone — widely played at wedding receptions and sung in karaoke bars. In 2020, it was added to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress.
A complete obituary will be posted soon.
