Village People frontman Victor Willis has died. He was 74.

A short statement on the band’s FaceBook page reads: “We are profoundly sad to announce the death of Victor Willis, lead singer of Village People. Victor passed on Monday June 30, 2026 of a short but aggressive illness. Privacy is requested.”

Born in Dallas but raised in San Francisco, he joined the disco group formed by French producers Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo in 1977. After Morali recruited other members through an advert in New York gay clubs that called for “Macho Types” that “Must Dance And Have A Moustache,” the group quickly found international success.

The were famous for their gay fantasy macho outfits, including a construction worker, soldier, and cowboy. Willis portrayed a sailor and a policeman in the group. Throughout the late 1970s, he co-wrote many of the group’s biggest hits, including "Y.M.C.A," "Go West," "Macho Man," and "In The Navy."

After leaving the band for good in 1983, Willis had several personal and legal troubles that kept a solo career from getting off the ground, until finally rejoining the band in 2017. In the meantime, a court case in the early 2010s saw Willis terminate an old publishing agreement in a landmark copyright case that gave songwriters more leverage in reclaiming copyright they had previously given away.

Willis had performed at the Nostalgia Lovers festival in Casablanca, Morocco ten days ago and was scheduled to perform with the Village People in Sicily in under two weeks. His most famous late-career performance, however, was in January 2025. Being one of the favourite songs of US President Donald Trump, Willis and the Village People performed "Y.M.C.A." at the pre-inauguration “Make America Great Again Victory Rally.”