Victor Willis, the lead singer of Village People, has died at the age of 75. The news was announced on the band’s social media accounts, with a post that said: “We are profoundly sad to announce the death of VICTOR WILLIS, lead singer of Village People. “Victor passed on Monday June 30, 2026 of a short but aggressive illness. Privacy is requested.”Singer-songwriter Willis was a founding member of the iconic disco group, whose hits include “Y.M.C.A”, “Go West” and “In The Navy”. Village People were formed in the late 1970s after Can’t Stop Productions, who had hits in Europe under their belts, decided to try cracking America. The duo behind the production house discovered Willis via a demo tape. When the first Village People album proved to be a hit, they recruited dancers to join the singer on the club circuit and the group adopted their character costumes, with Willis dressing as a police officer. After Willis exited the group in 1979, numerous other singers took over his leading role and Village People continued performing with various line-ups. In 2017, Willis rejoined Village People and hit the road again, with the band bringing their high-energy, disco sets to festivals and Pride events worldwide. More follows on this breaking news story. Subscribe here to get the latest updates from The Independent