Willis co-wrote “Macho Man,” “In the Navy,” “Go West,” and “YMCA” for the Village People, then won a series of copyright rulings between 2012 and 2015 that gave him majority ownership of those hits. “YMCA” reached No. 2 on the Billboard singles chart and “In the Navy” hit No. 3.
He was a young man in a police uniform (helmet and all), “a young man with a loud voice” that producer Jacques Morali created for the group in 1977. A pastor’s son who sang gospel in church, he made it to Broadway in the first play of “The Wiz” before disco made him famous.
The lyric “YMCA” comes from his life in New York. He lived at the Empire Hotel and frequented the YMCA on West 63rd Street, and later said he represented someone new to town who blew all his money and was “just sitting around not knowing what direction to take with his life.” The Library of Congress added the song to the National Recording Registry in 2020.
All six members of the Village People — Chad Freeman, James Kwong, JJ Lippold, Angel Morales, Victor Willis, and Sonny Earl — donned the full ensemble on the red carpet at the 7th Annual Streamy Awards in Beverly Hills on Sept. 26, 2017. Photo by Valerie Macon / AFP via Getty Images.
Fame came with a cost. An arrest in 2006 sent him to the Betty Ford Clinic for treatment, and he got drunk in 2007, later saying the drug haze was gone and he could see well again.
President Donald Trump dances to the “YMCA” as House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain applaud at the Republican Caucus at Trump National Doral in Miami on March 9, 2026. Photo by Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty Images.
“YMCA” found a second life at Donald Trump’s rallies, and Willis, who initially opposed it, came to call the song a “monster” that has resonated for decades. Trump posted a tribute to Truth Social calling Willis “a sweet, fun guy who wanted me to use his band’s song, the YMCA, at my Rallies,” and added, “We’ll be thinking of Victor every time the YMCA plays, like today, and throughout this Fourth of July birthday week.” Willis rejoined the band for a tour and new music in 2017, and last year defended playing Trump’s inauguration, writing that it was not an endorsement of Trump’s policies “or whatever he says to the contrary.” In May, he and the band performed “Happy Birthday” and “YMCA” for Secretary of State Marco Rubio at an event in India.
At the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, the Village People took the stage as the Official Artist of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Dec. 5, 2025 – frontman Victor Willis in his police uniform singing into the microphone with his band mates by his side. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images.Wearing his trademark police uniform, Village People singer Victor Willis takes the stage at Chicago Stadium on June 21, 1979. Photo by Paul Natkin / Archive Photos via Getty Images.
His wife, Karen Huff-Willis, announced his death on July 1 and asked for privacy. He was one day shy of his 75th birthday.
Village People members Nicholas Manerick, James Kwong, Javier Perez, Victor Willis, Jeffrey James Lippold, and James Logan stand on the red carpet at the 91st Hollywood Christmas Parade in Hollywood, California, on November 26, 2023. Photo by Tommaso Boddi / Getty Images.
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