He was the sturdy bearded guy in the police uniform, or sometimes the naval officer. Victor Willis, frontman of iconic 1970s disco group Village People, has died aged 74.
The musician, born in Texas in 1951, was the lead singer and co-writer of the group’s biggest hits, including the global hit “YMCA” (for “Young Men’s Christian Association”).
A brief message from his wife announced his death on Wednesday, on the group’s social media accounts. “It is with deep sadness that I must announce the death of my husband, VICTOR WILLIS,” she wrote, referring to “a short, but aggressive illness.”
The group’s beginnings are the stuff of legend. Willis was discovered by producers Jacques Morali and producer Henri Belolo, both French. He performed four songs with studio singers which took over the airwaves and earned him a shower of invitations to appear on television sets.
A first training course has been set up, according to the group’s official website (https://villagepeople.com). Then a small ad appears: “Looking for macho type for the biggest disco group in the world. Dancing and mustache obligatory. The perfect masculine archetype. A myth is born.
In 1979 came the first world tour. The site indicates that Village People, a tribute to the Greenwich Village neighborhood in New York, has sold 100 million albums.
Willis left the group in the early 1980s, struggling with substance abuse problems. The singer pleaded guilty to cocaine possession in a San Francisco court in 2006.
In 2017, he took over the reins of the most famous disguised group on the planet to bring it back on the touring route, after having fought to recover the rights to his song, Variety magazine recalled on Wednesday.
As of 2021, “YMCA” is listed in the National Recording Registry of the U.S. Library of Congress. In 2022, the song entered the Grammy Hall of Fame.
The gay anthem adopted by Trump
A gay anthem since its release in 1978, the hit “YMCA” itself experienced a strange destiny by experiencing a second life as unexpected as it was iconoclastic: it had been recovered by Donald Trump, with the approval of the group, denying its original meaning.
The famous disco song became associated with the Republican candidate’s victory for his second term. The latter, on several occasions, sketched a few dance steps to the rhythm of the anthem, surrounded by the star group of the 1970s.
The title, co-composed by Victor Willis, originally embodied an anthem of the homosexual male community. Between gay codes and stereotypical costumes, its evocative refrain fooled no one: “It’s fun to stay at the YMCA/They have everything for young men to have fun/You can hang out with all the boys”.
Words at odds with the conservative positions of the tenant of the White House.
“YMCA” is not a gay anthem, its lyricist then defended, announcing in December 2024 that he would pursue those who gave this meaning to the song.
“Let’s give President Trump a chance, regardless of what you may have thought of him in the past. Let’s see what he does in the future, and if he takes steps to restrict LGBTQ rights, the Village People will be the first to speak out,” he wrote on Facebook.
The tube had already been used during Republican meetings in 2020, which its co-author did not appreciate.
After his change of heart and his favorable response to Donald Trump’s invitation to participate in his inauguration, the criticisms rained down.
“Village People will perform for both Democrats and Republicans. We are not a political group. We never have been and we never will be, even if some of you try to pass us off as such,” Willis retorted.
