Victor Willis, Village People Frontman Behind YMCA, Dies at 74

Victor Willis, the founding Village People lead singer and co-writer of YMCA, Macho Man and In the Navy, died at 74 after a short illness, announced by the group. Willis helped launch Village People with Jacques Morali in the late 1970s, turning a flamboyant disco concept into a string of pop-culture defining hits. He left and rejoined the group over the years, won a landmark 2012 Copyright Act ruling reclaiming his work, and later contributed to new projects, including a 2018 Christmas album. YMCA has since been celebrated by the Library of Congress and inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.