{"id":2844,"date":"2026-07-01T10:38:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T10:38:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=2844"},"modified":"2026-07-01T10:38:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T10:38:35","slug":"victor-willis-village-people-frontman-and-lead-singer-on-disco-classic-y-m-c-a-dies-at-74","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=2844","title":{"rendered":"Victor Willis, Village People Frontman and Lead Singer on Disco Classic \u201cY.M.C.A.,\u201d Dies at 74"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n<\/p>\n
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\n\tVictor Willis, the lead singer of \u201970s disco group Village People, has died. He was 74.<\/p>\n

Read more Netflix\u2019s New Releases Coming in July 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tWillis\u2019 wife, Karen-Huff Willis, posted to the musician\u2019s Facebook page on Wednesday: \u201cIt is with profound sadness that I must announce the death of my husband \u2026 Victor passed away on Tuesday \u2026 as a result of a short, but aggressive illness.\u201d She added: \u201cThe family request privacy at this time of great loss.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Texas-born Willis was the frontman of the Village People, a name inspired by New York City\u2019s Greenwich Village, who dominated the charts with \u201cMacho Man,\u201d \u201cIn the Navy,\u201d and \u201cY.M.C.A,\u201d which was undoubtedly their biggest single. Willis was a co-writer on their most successful songs.<\/p>\n

\n\tOriginally formed by Willis with French producers Jacques Morali\u00a0and\u00a0Henri Belolo, Willis rose to global fame, performing in costume as a policeman or naval officer alongside bandmates including Randy Jones,\u00a0Glenn Hughes,\u00a0Felipe Rose,\u00a0David Hodo,\u00a0and Alex Briley. Tension arose in 1980 when Willis left the band, in what would be the beginning of decades of legal battles over copyright concerns. They were just about to start shooting Nancy Walker\u2019s feature film, the pseudo-biography about Village People called Can\u2019t Stop the Music<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n\tDuring 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, Solo Man<\/em>, though it would go unreleased for 35 years. In August 2015, Solo Man <\/em>came out. Willis re-teamed with Village People in 2017 after reaching an out-of-court settlement and toured with the band internationally. Just last year, they took to the stage at President Donald Trump\u2019s pre-inauguration rally.<\/p>\n

Read more KVIFF Industry Days Primer: \u2018The Sopranos\u2019 Creator David Chase, Jude Law\u2019s Riff Raff, Demystifying AI<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tWillis was 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<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n\tLater in life, he spoke candidly about struggling with drug addiction after leaving Village People. In 2007, after leaving rehab, Willis said in his first public statement in 25 years: \u201cThe nightmare of drug abuse is being lifted from my life\u2026 I\u2019m looking forward to living the second part of my life drug-free.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFrom 1978 to 1982, Willis was married to Phylicia Ayers-Allen, now Phylicia Rashad, who played Clair Huxtable on The Cosby Show<\/em>. On Nov. 17, 2007, Willis married Karen Huff, a lawyer and entertainment exec.<\/p>\n

Read more Locarno Unveils Lineup for Pardi di Domani Section, Open Doors Screenings<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Victor Willis, the lead singer of ’70s disco group Village People ("Y.M.C.A.") has died. He was 74.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2843,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2156],"class_list":["post-2844","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting","tag-the-village-people"],"yoast_head":"\nVictor Willis, Village People Frontman and Lead Singer on Disco Classic \u201cY.M.C.A.,\u201d Dies at 74 - US Property Moves<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=2844\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Victor Willis, Village People Frontman and Lead Singer on Disco Classic \u201cY.M.C.A.,\u201d Dies at 74 - US Property Moves\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Victor Willis, the lead singer of '70s disco group Village People ("Y.M.C.A.") has died. 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