Village People singer Victor Willis has passed away. Now, President Donald Trump has sent his condolences – and made a bombshell claim about the singer.
On Wednesday, the legendary band the Village People announced that lead singer Victor Willis had died at the age of 74.
“We are profoundly sad to announce the death of VICTOR WILLIS, lead singer of Village People,” the band said on Facebook. “Victor passed on Monday, June 30, 2026, of a short but aggressive illness. Privacy is requested.
Willis was one of the most recognizable voices of the disco era and helped shape some of the genre’s most iconic hits. As the lead singer of Village People, he co-wrote and performed classics such as YMCA, Macho Man, In the Navy and Go West.
Former in the late 1970s, Willis, who at the time was a starin the original Broadway production of The Wiz, and his bandmates became a successful act worldwide. The group’s name is a nod to Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, the historical heart of New York’s LGBTQ+ scene.
Willis alternated between roles as a police officer and a naval officer in the group’s performances. At the peak of their success, the Village People became a global cultural phenomenon, with Willis right at the heart of it all.
Late Village People singer Victor Willis asked Trump to drop ‘YMCA’ at rallies
But while the song has been popular for decades, it became even more widely popular for, let’s say, a quite surprising group of people.
Donald Trump has been playing the song at his rallies for years while performing his signature stiff-armed fist-pump dance.
Per Variety, speaking to a crowd in Florida in May, Trump said his wife, Melania, “hates” when he dances to the song he branded the “gay national anthem.”
“We love that song,” Trump added.
Over the years, a number of major artists and bands, including Aerosmith, Adele, Celine Dion, Elton John, Foo Fighters, and Guns N’ Roses, have asked Donald Trump to stop playing their songs at his events.
And in fact, the same went for Village People. In 2020, Victor Willis told BBC News World America that while he and the band “benefited greatly” from the song being played by Trump, he and his group had never endorsed Trump.
“We have even asked him to stop playing his music at his rallies,” Willis said, The Independent reported.
Donald Trump claims Victor Willis “loved” that he used ‘YMCA’ at his rallies
However, that is not the way Donald Trump sees it. According to Trump, Willis “was a great and happy guy who loved that” the president used YMCA at his presidential rallies,
“He was a great and happy guy who loved that I used his groups song, YMCA, at my Rallies,” Donald Trump claimed on Truth Social.
“It became a “monster” hit, again, 30 years after its original launch. Many singers and groups wanted to get on board at the Rallies after all of the Rally Attendance Records were set – The crowds were, and are, enormous – But Victor and the group was there for us right from the beginning! They loved the action, and we loved them and their great and uplifting song.”
The president added, “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!!!”
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