Village People singer Victor Willis dies at 74

Victor Willis, lead singer for disco icons The Village People, died on Tuesday “as a result of a short, but aggressive illness,” according to a statement from his wife, Karen Huff-Willis. He was 74.

The Village People were formed in NYC in 1977 by Willis and French producers Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo. He co-wrote some of the band’s biggest hits, including “YMCA” and “Macho Man,” and onstage — with the other onstage band members each dressed as a male stereotype — performed most often in a police uniform but sometimes also in military gear.

The Village People were such a sensation, they actually starred in a movie loosely based on their formation, the cult classic Can’t Stop the Music.

While The Village People undeniably campy, Willis denied from the start that they were a gay group. Things got controversial in the 2010s when Donald Trump started using “YMCA” at his political rallies and Willis and his recent lineups of the band (he was the only original member) actually performed at rallies with Trump joining them. Willis also performed “YMCA” at an event that was part of Trump’s second inauguration, though he said doing so was not an endorsement of Trump’s policies, “no matter what you say to the contrary.”

Before The Village People, Willis was a Broadway performer, appearing in productions of The Wiz, The River Niger, and others. During the height of The Village People, he was married to Phylicia Ayers-Allen, who later starred as Claire Huxtable on The Cosby Show (as Phylicia Rashad).