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The president Donald Trump honored Victor Willis, the lead vocalist of Village People, who passed away on Tuesday, June 30, at the age of 74, with a post on his Truth Social network, highlighting the special connection that the singer had with his political rallies through the iconic song "Y.M.C.A.".
"It was a great and happy guy who loved that I used his group's song, YMCA, at my rallies. It became a 'monstrous' hit again, 30 years after its original release," wrote Trump on Truth Social just hours after the news broke.
The leader emphasized that Willis and the group "have been there for us from the beginning," even before other artists wanted to join their performances after the record attendance.
"We loved them and their great and uplifting song. We will think of Victor every time 'YMCA' plays, like today, and throughout this entire week of July 4th celebrations," he added, extending his condolences to the family and the group.
The death of Willis, confirmed by the band on their official Facebook page, occurred one day before the musician would have turned 75, a victim of "a brief but aggressive illness." His wife, Karen Huff-Willis, posted a similar statement on the singer's personal page.
The relationship between Willis and Trump was far from always cordial. In 2020, the singer publicly stated to the BBC that he did not support the then-president and that the group had asked him to stop using their music: "I do not support Trump, I have never supported Trump, and neither has Village People."
In 2023, his wife even issued a formal cease and desist letter against the use of the song.
However, Willis's stance began to change. Following Trump’s electoral victory in November 2024 and the acquisition of a political license from BMI, the singer permitted the use of "Y.M.C.A." and even performed at the rally before the presidential inauguration in January 2025, though he clarified that his presence did not imply political endorsement.
The momentum from the rallies catapulted the song to number two on the Billboard Hot 100, more than 45 years after its original release in 1978.
Willis was born on July 1, 1951, in Dallas, Texas, and was the lead vocalist and co-writer of the biggest hits of Village People, including "Y.M.C.A.," "In the Navy," and "Go West," written in collaboration with French producer Jacques Morali.
He left the band in 1979 and spent decades in a legal battle for the copyright of his compositions, during which, as he admitted to the San Diego Union-Tribune in 2015, he fell into drugs: "I got really depressed over the years and decided to disappear from the map."
A federal jury recognized 50% of the ownership of 13 songs by the group in the United States in 2015, which allowed him to rejoin the band in 2017. In 2024, Willis also stirred controversy by stating that "YMCA" was not a gay anthem and threatening to sue those who perpetuated that interpretation.
"Y.M.C.A." was inducted in 2020 into both the Grammy Hall of Fame and the National Recording Registry of the United States Library of Congress, an institution whose purpose is to ensure the preservation of the country's sound heritage.
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