Donald J.Trump mourns Village People singer Victor Willis, dead at 74
praised Willis as a “great and happy guy” who embraced the use of YMCA at his rallies, calling the song “uplifting” in a tribute posted on Truth Social.
praised Willis as a “great and happy guy” who embraced the use of YMCA at his rallies, calling the song “uplifting” in a tribute posted on Truth Social.
WHITE HOUSE — Donald J.Trump paid tribute to Village People lead singer Victor Willis, who died at 74, on a Truth Social post on July 1, 2026, at 5:53 AM EST.
Here is the full post (see truthsocial): “Village People singer Victor Willis is dead at 74. He was a great and happy guy who loved that I used his groups song, YMCA, at my Rallies. It became a “monster” hit, again, 30 years after its original launch. 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. We will think of Victor every time YMCA is played, like today, and all throughout this July Fourth Birthday week. My condolences to his wonderful family and group, Victor Willis will be sorely missed, God Bless Him!!! Donald J.Trump”
Victor Willis died on June 30, 2026, following what his spouse described as “a short, but aggressive illness” (see channelnewsasia.com). His spouse announced the death on Willis’s official Facebook page on July 1.
Willis co-founded Village People in 1977 and served as lead singer and co-songwriter on all of the group’s biggest hits, including YMCA, In the Navy, Macho Man and Go West (see Google). Born on July 1, 1951, in Dallas, Texas, Willis grew up in San Francisco and developed his singing voice in his father’s Baptist church before moving into jazz and soul music.
Willis left the group in 1980 but rejoined in 2017 after reaching a settlement with Henri Belolo, the business partner of the late French producer Jacques Morali. He held a 50 percent ownership stake in 13 Village People songs after a 2015 jury ruling stripped the name Henri Belolo from the songwriting credits (see Google).
YMCA became a fixture at Trump rallies and political events, with the president developing a trademark dance to accompany the song. Village People performed the track at a Trump rally in January 2025, just before his second inauguration (see channelnewsasia.com). “Let’s give President Trump a chance, regardless of what you may have thought about him in the past,” Willis said at the time.
Willis also warned that if the administration moved to restrict LGBTQ rights, “Village People will be the first to speak out” (see channelnewsasia.com). The song, whose lyrics urge “young men” to visit the Young Men’s Christian Association, had long served as an anthem for the LGBTQ community before its adoption at conservative political events.
Trump credited Willis and Village People with supporting his rallies “right from the beginning” and said he would think of Willis every time YMCA plays, including during Fourth of July celebrations this week.
In the last 30 days, 26 of 567 Trump posts addressed the topic of culture, making this tribute one of a relatively small share of posts devoted to non-political subjects.
Source: Zenger real-time database of all Truth Social posts.
Note: Chart generated on July 1, 2026 at 5:57 AM EST
Source: Zenger analysis
Note: Table generated by NewsFindr on July 1, 2026 at 5:57 AM EST