- Victor Willis, the frontman of the 1970s disco group Village People, died on Tuesday June 30, 2026.
- He passed away after battling a short but aggressive illness. He was 74.
- The band announced the heartbreaking news on their official social media pag
Victor Willis, the frontman of the 1970s disco group Village People, died on Tuesday, June 30, after battling "a short but aggressive illness". He was 74.
The band announced the heartbreaking news on their official social media page.
“We are profoundly sad to announce the death of VICTOR WILLIS, lead singer of Village People,” said the official statement posted on the band's Facebook Page.
“Victor passed on Tuesday June 30, 2026 of a short but aggressive illness. Privacy is requested,” it added.
His wife, Karen Huff Willis, later issued a similar statement on Facebook. She wrote, “It is with profound sadness that I must announce the death of my husband … Victor passed away on Tuesday … as a result of a short, but aggressive illness. The family requests privacy at this time of great loss.”
The Texas-born musician was the lead singer and co-writer of the band's biggest hits including YMCA, Go West and In The Navy. The group became international stars in the 70s, thanks to their archetypal macho character getup. Willis was alternately a policeman and a naval officer.
He left the band in 1980 in hopes of embarking on a solo career. During this time, he consistently refused to perform any Village People songs and declined offers to make other records.
In 1979, he recorded a solo album, named Solo Man, though it would go unreleased for 35 years. In August 2015, Solo Man came out.
He spent years fighting a legal battle over copyright to the songs he'd written, but rejoined the group in 2017.
Just last year, they took to the stage at President Donald Trump's pre-inauguration rally. “Y.M.C.A.,” the catchy song that often saw Willis saw a resurgence in popularity after President Donald Trump began dancing to the 1978 hit at the end of his campaign rallies in 2020.
Willis was also a prolific stage actor and performed in a slew of musicals and plays throughout his career, including in the original Broadway production of The Wiz.
Willis said he received thousands of complaints about the use of the song at Trump's events and had decided to ask the president “to stop using Y.M.C.A. because his use had become a nuisance to me”. Willis also performed the song at President Trump's pre-inauguration rally in January 2025.
Willis was married to Phylicia Ayers-Allen, now Phylicia Rashad, who played Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show from 1978 to 1982. On November 17, 2007, Willis tied the knot with Karen Huff, a lawyer and entertainment executive.