Few voices are as instantly recognizable as the one that counted off "Y.M.C.A." That voice belonged to Victor Willis.

A voice that became an era

Willis, the founding lead singer of the Village People, died June 30, 2026, at 74, his wife and manager, Karen Huff-Willis, announced. She said he died after "a short, but aggressive illness"; no specific diagnosis was disclosed, and the family asked for privacy.

Born Victor Edward Willis in Texas in 1951 and raised in San Francisco, he grew up singing gospel in the church where his father, a Baptist minister, preached — an unlikely starting point for a career that would help define disco.

The making of an icon

In 1977 Willis joined French producers Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo in New York to form the Village People, a group built around costumed American archetypes. Willis took the role of the policeman, and his was the voice at the center of "Y.M.C.A." and "Macho Man." He went on to co-write "In the Navy" and "Go West," later a global hit for the Pet Shop Boys.

"I had no idea when we wrote 'Y.M.C.A.' that it would become one of the most iconic songs in the world," Willis said in a statement in his later years, Variety reported. The group's late-1970s run produced a string of gold and platinum records, and in 2020 the Library of Congress added "Y.M.C.A." to its National Recording Registry.

A landmark copyright fight

Willis left and rejoined the group over the years, but his most consequential battle was in court. Invoking a provision of the Copyright Act that lets songwriters reclaim rights decades after transferring them, he sued to recover his share of the songs he co-wrote — and won. A federal judge ruled that a single joint author could terminate his own grant without needing the others to join, The Hollywood Reporter noted, a closely watched precedent in the music industry. Huff-Willis, an attorney, helped lead that campaign.

Beyond the badge

Willis was married to actress Phylicia Rashad from 1978 to 1982, before her fame on "The Cosby Show." He returned to the Village People full time in 2017 and kept performing as the group's signature song took on new political life, adopted by President Trump as a rally staple. The group performed at Trump's pre-inauguration rally in January 2025; on learning of Willis's death, Trump called him "a great and happy guy."

Willis is survived by his wife, Karen Huff-Willis. No funeral arrangements were announced.