Victor Willis spent nearly five decades making the world dance. He co-wrote some of the most recognizable songs in pop history, grew up singing gospel in his father’s Baptist church in Texas, and built a legacy that stretched from late-night discos in 1977 all the way to a spot in the Library of Congress National Recording Registry.
When he died on Tuesday at 74, tributes came in from fans across generations who had spent their lives spelling out letters on dance floors to his music. Donald Trump’s, characteristically, came with a side of personal credit.
Willis’s wife, Karen Huff Willis, announced his passing in a statement: “It is with profound sadness that I must announce the death of my husband, VICTOR WILLIS. Victor passed away on Tuesday June 30, 2026 as a result of a short, but aggressive illness. The family request privacy at this time of great loss.”
The Village People shared a similar statement on their official social media accounts, and condolences poured in from fans across generations who had grown up spelling out letters on dance floors worldwide.
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Trump, however, had a few additional things to get off his chest. The tribute was warm enough on the surface, but it also managed to cover rally attendance records, enormous crowds, and the remarkable second life that “YMCA” apparently owed to its repeated use at Republican campaign events.
“Village People singer Victor Willis is dead at 74. He was a great and happy guy who loved that I used his groups song, YMCA, at my Rallies. It became a ‘monster’ hit, again, 30 years after its original launch,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, before noting that “many singers and groups wanted to get on board at the Rallies after all of the Rally Attendance Records were set.” Willis and the Village People, Trump was careful to establish, “was there for us right from the beginning.”
The relationship between Trump and “YMCA” has always been considerably more tangled than the rally footage lets on.
Willis told the BBC back in 2020: “I don’t endorse Trump, I’ve never endorsed Trump, nor has the Village People. But because of the copyright laws in the United States, he’s able to play our music any time he wants to.” A cease-and-desist letter followed in 2023, before Willis reversed course entirely, gave his blessing, and eventually performed the song at Trump’s inauguration rally in January 2025, telling the crowd: “Let’s give President Trump a chance, regardless of what you may have thought about him in the past.”
Beyond the rally drama, Willis carried a life story that deserved considerably more than a footnote. He was previously married to actress Phylicia Rashad from 1978 to 1982, and when “YMCA” was inducted into the Library of Congress National Recording Registry in 2020, he reflected on its unlikely reach: “I had no idea when we wrote ‘Y.M.C.A.’ that it would become one of the most iconic songs in the world, and fixture at almost every wedding, birthday party, bar mitzvah and sporting event.”
Featured image via Political Tribune Gallery
