Victor Willis, Village People lead singer, dies at 74

Victor Willis, lead singer of the disco group Village People whose hit "Y.M.C.A." became a fixture at rallies for President Trump, has died, his wife and the band said in Facebook posts on Wednesday. He was 74. "It is with profound sadness that I must announce the death of my husband, VICTOR WILLIS," Karen-Huff Willis said in a statement on the musician's Facebook page. "Victor passed away on Tuesday June 30, 2026 as a result of a short, but aggressive illness." The band shared a similar statement on its Facebook page. The Texas-born musician 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 in the late 1970s. With their flamboyant costumes and choreography, the group became a pop culture phenomenon, targeting disco's large gay audience with camp fantasy characters of butch builders, bikers, cowboys and soldiers. Willis left the group in 1980 but rejoined in 2017. Angel Morales, Victor Willis (center) and J.J. Lippold of Village People perform during Riot Fest at Douglas Park on Sept. 15, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Redferns/Getty He struggled with drug addiction and took a plea deal over cocaine possession in 2006. "I got very depressed over the years and decided to just drop off the map. So I got into drugs," he told the San Diego Union Tribune in 2015 . …