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Victor Willis, the lead singer of Village Folks handed away aged 74, the band shared in a press release on the socila media.
“We’re profoundly unhappy to announce the loss of life of VICTOR WILLIS, lead singer of Village Folks,” the band stated on Fb. “Victor handed on Monday, June 30, 2026, of a brief however aggressive sickness. Privateness is requested.”
In the event you’ve ever danced to YMCA or Macho Man, then what Willis’ voice was actually able to. He was basically the soundtrack to the disco period, and never solely did he sing these large tracks like Within the Navy and Go West, however he really co-wrote them too, cementing his place in popular culture historical past.
Again within the late 70s, Willis was starring within the authentic Broadway run of The Wiz when the group got here collectively and rose to stardom, enchanting thousands and thousands of followers worldwide. The band’s iconic identify is a direct shout-out to Greenwich Village in Manhattan, which was absolutely the epicenter of New York’s LGBTQ+ scene on the time.
When the group blew up, it was Willis who was on the middle of the insanity. Whereas most of their songs stay iconic, one specific one, in all probability the band’s largest hit, discovered a surprisingly new highlight many years later: Donald Trump’s marketing campaign rallies.
Specifically, Trump made YMCA his go-to closing observe, full together with his well-known fist-pump dance, a transfer that ultimately prompted Willis to ask the previous president to drop the music from his playlist.
Per Selection, Trump revealed in Might that his spouse, Melania, “hates” when he dances to the music he branded the “homosexual nationwide anthem.”
“We love that music,” Trump added.
However Willis wasn’t the primary ever musician to ask from the president to cease utilizing certainly one of their songs. The checklist contains Aerosmith, Adele, Celine Dion, Elton John, Foo Fighters, and Weapons N’ Roses, among the many relaxation.
Again in 2020, Victor Willis advised BBC Information that despite the fact that the group “benefited drastically” from all the additional publicity they obtained from Trump enjoying the music, they needed to clear the air, neither he nor the Village Folks had ever really endorsed him.
“Now we have even requested him to cease enjoying his music at his rallies,” Willis stated, The Impartial reported.
Properly, Trump remembered it completely otherwise. In line with him, Willis “was an incredible and pleased man who beloved that” the president used YMCA at his rallies.
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“He was an incredible and pleased man who beloved that I used his teams music, YMCA, at my Rallies,” Donald Trump claimed on Reality Social.
“It turned a “monster” hit, once more, 30 years after its authentic launch. Many singers and teams needed to get on board on the Rallies after all the Rally Attendance Data had been set – The crowds had been, and are, monumental – However Victor and the group was there for us proper from the start! They beloved the motion, and we beloved them and their nice and uplifting music.”
The president added, “We’ll consider Victor each time YMCA is performed, like at the moment, and all all through this July Fourth Birthday week. My condolences to his fantastic household and group, Victor Willis might be sorely missed, God Bless Him!!!”
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Bored Daddy
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