Posts on Willis’s Facebook page and the band’s official page confirmed his death, with his wife saying she made the announcement with “profound sadness”.
The post on his page said: “Victor passed away on Tuesday June 30, 2026 as a result of a short, but aggressive illness. The family request privacy at this time of great loss.”
His death came the day before his 75th birthday.
Village People rose to fame in the 1970s, becoming known for their camp, feelgood songs and flamboyant, fancy-dress style costumes which were symbolic of American masculinity at the time – including a construction worker, a cowboy and a biker. Willis was known for styling himself as a policeman, a naval officer and an athlete during their performances.
Their hits included Macho Man, Go West – later covered by the Pet Shop Boys – and In The Navy, but it was the disco anthem YMCA that earned them platinum sales and number ones around the world.
In 2020, the song was inducted into both the Grammy Hall of Fame and the US Library of Congress National Recording Registry, which aims to “ensure the survival, conservation and increased public availability of America’s audio heritage”.
It was adopted as an anthem by the gay community, despite the singer saying several times that it was not the song’s intention – although other members of the group interpreted it differently.
“I wanted to write a song that could fit anyone’s lifestyle,” Willis said in one interview
The singer left the group in 1979, with several performers taking over on lead vocals over the years. After his depature, the band featured in the 1980 US comedy film Can’t Stop The Music, a pseudo-biography of their story.
Almost 40 years later, in 2017, Willis rejoined and “revamped” the band, they say in their website biography.
‘Music without politics’
Donald Trump began using the song in his 2020 re-election campaign, which he lost to former US president Joe Biden, and the group initially issued a cease and desist letter.
However, Mr Trump used the song again in his successful 2024 election campaign, which concluded with a line-up of the band performing at events around his 2025 inauguration.
In a statement on his own Facebook page at the time, Willis explained why the band had decided to accept the invitation.
“We know this won’t make some of you happy to hear however we believe that music is to be performed without regard to politics,” he wrote.
“Our song YMCA is a global anthem that hopefully helps bring the country together after a tumultuous and divided campaign where our preferred candidate lost. Therefore, we believe it’s now time to bring the country together with music.”
The performances took place despite one former Village People member, Jim Newman, writing on Instagram to say the original band “would never ever” perform at a Trump rally.
In 2020, Willis himself said his band did not endorse Mr Trump and that he liked the fact that fans of different political leanings enjoyed their music.
