Victor Willis(1951-2026)
- Actor
- Composer
- Writer
The original lead singer of the Village People. Victor Willis was the driving force behind the group as well as the group's only straight
member. In addition to singing lead, he also wrote such hits as YMCA, Macho Man, In the Navy, and Go West, etc.
In fact, Village People initially consisted of only Victor Willis who recorded the group's first album in 1977 with use of professional background singers. Other group members were quickly assembled after Willis' first album, under the auspices of Village People, started climbing the charts. The first album contained the hit "San Francisco." Willis left the group in 1979 and returned in 1984 for the album "Fox on the Box." Willis left the group for good in 1985. He was the original cop and naval officer.
In 1978, he married Phylicia Rashad, better known as The Cosby Show (1984)'s Clair Huxtable. They divorced in 1984. An accomplished Broadway actor, Willis was in the original Broadway production of The Wiz, and such other major plays as Hair, River Niger, Three Gentlemen of Verona, and The Great MacDaddy to name a few. In fact, Victor Willis and Phylicia Rashad met while they were both cast members of "The Wiz," after which they soon starting dating and eventually wed.
Willis claimed that when he wrote the lyrics to YMCA, it was not about the gay life style, rather, simply about young urban black kids hanging-out at the "Y" having fun, or "hanging out with the boys" there playing basketball, or swimming, etc.
Willis struggled for years with drug abuse after leaving Village People and had several drug-related run-in with the law. In 2006 however, he completed a drug treatment program at the Betty Ford Center, essentially kicking the habit. He remained drug-free since after that and would often speak about the dangers of drug abuse.
Willis returned to the stage in 2007 and continued to tour aside from the group. He remained very wealthy due to the writing of such hits as YMCA and Macho Man. In 2007, he married a lawyer who also managed his career.
In fact, Village People initially consisted of only Victor Willis who recorded the group's first album in 1977 with use of professional background singers. Other group members were quickly assembled after Willis' first album, under the auspices of Village People, started climbing the charts. The first album contained the hit "San Francisco." Willis left the group in 1979 and returned in 1984 for the album "Fox on the Box." Willis left the group for good in 1985. He was the original cop and naval officer.
In 1978, he married Phylicia Rashad, better known as The Cosby Show (1984)'s Clair Huxtable. They divorced in 1984. An accomplished Broadway actor, Willis was in the original Broadway production of The Wiz, and such other major plays as Hair, River Niger, Three Gentlemen of Verona, and The Great MacDaddy to name a few. In fact, Victor Willis and Phylicia Rashad met while they were both cast members of "The Wiz," after which they soon starting dating and eventually wed.
Willis claimed that when he wrote the lyrics to YMCA, it was not about the gay life style, rather, simply about young urban black kids hanging-out at the "Y" having fun, or "hanging out with the boys" there playing basketball, or swimming, etc.
Willis struggled for years with drug abuse after leaving Village People and had several drug-related run-in with the law. In 2006 however, he completed a drug treatment program at the Betty Ford Center, essentially kicking the habit. He remained drug-free since after that and would often speak about the dangers of drug abuse.
Willis returned to the stage in 2007 and continued to tour aside from the group. He remained very wealthy due to the writing of such hits as YMCA and Macho Man. In 2007, he married a lawyer who also managed his career.
In Memoriam: Stars We Lost in 2026
In Memoriam: Stars We Lost in 2026
We pay tribute to the stars we lost this year, including Dolly Parton and Tim Curry.
