President Trump paid tribute to Victor Willis, the “motorcycle cop” lead singer of the ’70s disco group the Village People, whose death was announced Wednesday, saying he will be “sorely missed.”
The Village People’s 1978 hit song “Y.M.C.A.” became a staple at Mr. Trump’s rallies and was played at other appearances by the president.
“He was a great and happy guy who loved that I used his group’s song, YMCA, at my rallies. It became a ‘monster’ hit again 30 years after its original launch,” Mr. Trump posted on Truth Social.
“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 posted.
Mr. Trump added that he will think of Mr. Willis “every time YMCA is played” and expressed condolences to his family.
Mr. Willis was 74. His death was announced by his wife and the band on Facebook posts Wednesday morning.
“It is with profound sadness that I must announce the death of my husband Victor Wilis. Victor passed away on Tuesday June 30, 2026, as a result of a short but aggressive illness,” Karen Huff-Willis wrote in a statement.
The Texas-born musician was a co-founder of the Village People and co-wrote many of the group’s hits, including “Y.M.C.A.,” “In the Navy” and “Macho Man.” The Village People’s flamboyant costumes and choreography made them a pop culture phenomenon targeting disco’s largely gay audience.
Mr. Willis left the group in 1989 but rejoined in 2017. He struggled with drug addiction and accepted a plea deal in a cocaine possession case in 2006.
“I got very depressed over the years and decided to just drop off the map. So I got into drugs,” he told the San Diego Union Tribune in 2015.
The group had a resurgence in recent years as Mr. Trump made “Y.M.C.A.” a fixture at his campaign rallies. Mr. Willis declined to endorse Mr. Trump but performed the hit at his rallies.
“I don’t endorse Trump, I’ve never endorsed Trump, nor has the Village People,” Mr. Willis told the BBC in 2020. “But because of the copyright laws in the United States, he’s able to play our music any time he wants to.”
The band performed “Y.M.C.A.” at a rally in January 2025 before Mr. Trump was inaugurated for his second term as president.
“Let’s give President Trump a chance, regardless of what you may have thought about him in the past,” Mr. Willis said at the time. “Let’s see what he’s going to do moving forward, and if he does things to restrict LGBTQ rights, Village People will be the first to speak out.”
• This article is based in part on wire service reports.
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