Victor Willis, the founding member and first lead vocalist of the disco group Village People, died at 74 after a brief, severe illness, the band announced on Facebook on June 30 and his wife, Karen Huff Willis, confirmed while asking for privacy. The singer, who helped write and perform hits such as “Y.M.C.A.,” “Macho Man,” “In the Navy” and “Go West,” was born in Dallas in 1951, pursued acting in New York, appeared in Broadway’s “The Wiz,” and helped the group sell more than 100 million records worldwide. Former President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, noting the long‑standing use of “Y.M.C.A.” at his campaign events, expressing sympathy for Willis’s family, and saying the song would remind him of the late musician during the upcoming July Fourth celebrations.