Victor Willis, the original lead vocalist and a founding member of Village People, has died aged 75. His wife, lawyer and entertainment executive Karen Huff-Willis, announced his death on social media, revealing that Willis died on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, after what she described as “a short, but aggressive illness”. The family has requested privacy as they grieve his passing.

Willis was one of the defining voices of the disco era and played a central role in creating some of the most enduring songs in popular music. As the frontman of Village People, he co-wrote and performed on classics including Y.M.C.A., Macho Man, In The Navy and Go West, songs that transcended their disco origins to become fixtures of sporting events, political campaigns and popular culture around the world.

Born Victor Edward Willis on July 1, 1951, he grew up in San Francisco, where he developed his vocal abilities singing gospel music in a Baptist church led by his father, a preacher. After training in acting and dance, he moved to New York and joined the Negro Ensemble Company. His stage work included the original Broadway production of The Wiz in 1976 and later the Australian production of the musical.

His career changed direction when he met French producer Jacques Morali in the mid-1970s. According to Willis, Morali approached him with an unusual proposition, saying, “I had a dream that you sang lead vocals on my album and it went very, very big.”

That collaboration became Village People. The group’s self-titled debut album arrived in 1977 and featured early hits including San Francisco (You’ve Got Me) and In Hollywood (Everybody Is A Star). Demand for live appearances quickly forced Morali and Willis to assemble a permanent performing group around the recordings.

Village People soon became one of disco’s most successful acts, distinguished by their costumed characters representing exaggerated versions of American masculinity. Willis performed primarily as the policeman and occasionally as a naval officer while serving as the group’s lead singer and principal lyricist.

Despite the group’s enormous success, Willis departed in 1980 during preparations for the feature film Can’t Stop The Music. Although he did not appear in the movie, he wrote lyrics for the songs Magic Night and Milkshake. Following his departure, Village People never again reached the commercial heights of their late 1970s peak.