Victor Willis, Village People Co-Founder and Lead Singer, Dies at 74

The singer-songwriter died on June 30, just one day shy of his 75th birthday.

Published: 7/1/2026, 1:43:14 PM EDT

Victor Willis, Village People Co-Founder and Lead Singer, Dies at 74 — Victor Willis, of the Village People, performs during the Festival d'ete de Quebec in Quebec City, Canada on July 11, 2019. (Amy Harris/Invision/AP)

Victor Willis, the co-founding member and lead singer of the disco group Village People, famously known for donning his signature police officer costume on stage, died on Tuesday at the age of 74, just one day shy of his 75th birthday.

Willis's bandmates announced his death in a brief statement shared on social media, noting that he died following "a short but aggressive illness." The singer-songwriter's wife of almost 20 years, Karen Huff-Willis, posted a similar message to his official Facebook account, writing that his family requests privacy "at this time of great loss." No additional information was provided about the circumstances surrounding his death.

Born on July 1, 1951, in Dallas, Texas, Willis grew up in San Francisco, where he spent his early years singing gospel music at his father's Baptist church. Willis moved to New York in the early 1970s and joined the Negro Ensemble Company, going on to make his Broadway debut in the 1975 original production of "The Wiz."

He was later recruited by French producer Jacques Morali to be the frontman of a disco band that would become the Village People, whose members were known for wearing elaborate costumes and portraying exaggerated masculine archetypes during performances, such as a cowboy, soldier, and construction worker.

The musical troupe released its self-titled debut album in 1977, becoming known for popular dance anthems such as "Y.M.C.A.," "Macho Man," and "In the Navy," which Willis helped co-write.

The group has sold more than 100 million albums to date, with other records including "Cruisin'" (1978), "Macho Man" (1978), and "Go West" (1979). The Library of Congress added the 1978 hit "Y.M.C.A." to the National Recording Registry in 2020, and the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame the following year.

Following Willis's death, tributes poured in from fans and public figures alike, honoring the singer's lasting impact in music and the defining role he played in the pop and disco era.

Most notably, President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Wednesday to praise the singer and the classic Village People track that became a fixture at his campaign rallies.

"He was a great and happy guy who loved that I used his group's song, 'YMCA,' at my Rallies ... We loved them and their great and uplifting song," Trump wrote in part. "We will think of Victor every time 'YMCA' is played, like today, and all throughout this July Fourth Birthday week. My condolences to his wonderful family and group, Victor Willis will be sorely missed, God Bless Him!"