President Donald Trump has honoured Victor Willis, the iconic lead vocalist of the disco group Village People, following his death on Tuesday at the age of 74.
Willis, widely recognised as the voice behind the band’s internationally acclaimed anthem “Y.M.C.A.,” died after what his wife described in a Facebook post as “a short, but aggressive illness.”
Trump, whose campaign rallies regularly featured “Y.M.C.A.,” said the events helped breathe new life into the “‘monster’ hit.”
In a Truth Social post shared on Wednesday, he wrote:
“They loved the action, and we loved them and their great and uplifting song. We will think of Victor every time YMCA is played, like today, and all throughout this July Fourth Birthday week. My condolences to his wonderful family and group, Victor Willis will be sorely missed, God Bless Him!!!”
The relationship between Willis’ band and the president was further highlighted when Village People performed during Trump’s second inauguration last year.
Born in Dallas in 1951, Willis began his musical journey singing in his father’s Baptist church in San Francisco. He later relocated to New York, where he became a member of the Neegro Ensemble Company.
Toward the end of the 1970s, he partnered with French producer Jacques Morali to establish Village People and co-wrote “Y.M.C.A.” in 1978.
Over the years, the song earned a place in the Grammy Hall of Fame and was also preserved in the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry. Willis departed Village People in 1980 to focus on a solo music career.
In later years, he successfully secured royalties for the group’s hit songs after a legal battle. He also faced challenges with drug addiction before eventually receiving treatment for substance abuse.
