Village People lead singer's widow reveals cause of death
Last June, Victor Willis, the lead singer of Village People (YMCA), passed away. His widow has now revealed that he died following a battle with liver cancer, a disease that runs in his family.
The cause of death for Victor Willis, the lead singer of the band Village People and the voice behind the massive hit YMCA, has been revealed. According to his widow, Karen Willis, who shared the news in a Facebook post cited by TMZ, he died of primary liver cancer with metastases.
Willis passed away in June at the age of 74 after what his widow described at the time as a short but aggressive illness. In her post published on Tuesday, Karen Willis explained that liver cancer is hereditary in Victor's family, noting that his mother and other relatives had also succumbed to the disease.
Under Willis’s leadership, Village People produced a string of iconic hits in the late 1970s, including YMCA, In The Navy, Go West, and Macho Man. These tracks became global disco anthems and were widely adopted by the gay community. Willis himself, however, was straight. In 2024, he even threatened legal action against anyone labeling YMCA a "gay anthem," though no such action was taken.
Beyond its subtext—which alludes to the YMCA’s status as a popular destination for young gay men—the song’s enduring success is tied to its famous choreography, where dancers form the letters Y, M, C, and A with their hands. In recent years, the song has become a staple at campaign rallies for US President Donald Trump.
"They call it the national gay anthem. It makes people get up and move," Trump said of the song.
