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Victor Willis, the lead singer of the 1970s disco group Village People and the co-writer of several of its biggest hits, including "Y.M.C.A.," "Go West," and "In the Navy," has died at the age of 74.
The band's official social media page announced that Willis died on Monday, June 30, 2026, after what it described as "a short but aggressive illness." The statement said the group was profoundly sad and requested privacy.
Willis, who was born in Dallas, Texas, on July 1, 1951, died one day before his 75th birthday. He was one of the defining voices of Village People, a group that built its global image around disco, a dance music style that became especially popular in the 1970s, and theatrical stage characters such as a policeman, a naval officer and other stylized masculine figures.
Willis grew up singing gospel music in a Baptist church led by his father in San Francisco. After training in acting and dance, he moved to New York and joined the Negro Ensemble Company, a prominent theater group. He also appeared in stage productions, including the original Broadway production of The Wiz in 1976 and later its Australian production.
His path into pop music changed when he met French disco producer Jacques Morali, who called him the "young man with the big voice." Morali later said he had told Willis, "I had a dream that you sang lead vocals on my album and it went very, very big."
Willis first agreed to record lead and background vocals for Village People when the project was still more of a studio concept than a touring band. After the group's first album found success, Morali and Willis built a live act around him by looking for singers who could dance and fit the group's image.
Village People rose quickly in the disco era, with Willis helping to write and perform songs that became international hits. His credits included "Macho Man," "Y.M.C.A.," "In the Navy," and "Go West," songs that helped make the group one of the most recognizable acts of the late 1970s.
Willis left the band in 1980, during preparations for the film "Can't Stop the Music." Although he did not appear in the movie, he wrote lyrics for two of its songs, "Magic Night" and "Milkshake." He returned briefly in the early 1980s before leaving again in 1983.
After years away from the group, Willis came back in 2017 following an out-of-court settlement with Henri Belolo, Morali's business partner and co-owner of the group. He resumed his role as lead singer, and Village People continued recording and touring internationally.
Willis also became known for a long copyright fight over the songs he had written. Copyright termination is a legal process in U.S. law that can allow creators to take back rights they previously transferred.
In 2012, a U.S. district court ruled that Willis could terminate his earlier copyright transfers to Scorpio Music and Can't Stop Productions. He later held a 33% share in songs including "Go West," "Y.M.C.A.," and "In the Navy."
In 2015, a jury determined that Jacques Morali and Willis were the only writers of 13 songs, removing Henri Belolo's name from those credits and giving Willis 50% ownership of the songs.
Willis struggled with drug abuse after leaving Village People and had several legal problems. After an arrest in 2006, he was given probation and ordered into rehab at the Betty Ford Clinic. In 2007, he said the nightmare of drug abuse was being lifted from his life and that he was looking forward to living drug-free.
His music also became linked to U.S. politics in later years. In 2020, Willis first demanded that Donald Trump stop using Village People songs, including "Macho Man" and "Y.M.C.A.," at rallies. His position later shifted, and in January 2025, Willis and Village People performed during Trump's inauguration week, including at a pre-inauguration rally at Capital One Arena.
Willis was married to actress Phylicia Ayers-Allen, now known as Phylicia Rashad, from 1978 to 1982. In 2007, he married lawyer and entertainment executive Karen Huff, who later used the surname Huff-Willis.
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