2026年7月1日 美国东部时间早上6:56 / 哥伦比亚广播公司/法新社
迪斯科组合Village People的主唱维克多·威利斯去世，其妻与乐队于周三在脸书发文宣布。威利斯享年74岁。其代表作《Y.M.C.A.》曾成为特朗普总统集会的固定曲目。
“我怀着万分悲痛地宣布，我的丈夫维克多·威利斯去世了，”凯伦·哈夫·威利斯在这位音乐人脸书页面的声明中写道。“维克多于2026年6月30日周二，因一场短暂但来势汹汹的疾病离世。”
乐队也在其脸书页面发布了类似声明。
这位出生于德克萨斯州的音乐人是Village People的联合创始人，共同创作了《Y.M.C.A.》、《In the Navy》和《Macho Man》等热门单曲，这些歌曲在20世纪70年代末风靡全球舞池。
凭借华丽的服装和编舞，该组合成为流行文化现象，以阳刚的建筑工人、摩托车手、牛仔和士兵等夸张幻想形象，瞄准迪斯科文化中庞大的同性恋受众群体。
威利斯于1980年离开组合，2017年重新回归。
![image(天使·莫拉莱斯、维克多·威利斯（中）与Village People成员J.J.利普尔德2019年9月15日在伊利诺伊州芝加哥道格拉斯公园的暴乱音乐节上表演。丹尼尔·博查尔斯基/Redferns/盖蒂图片社摄
威利斯曾与毒瘾作斗争，并在2006年因持有可卡因达成认罪协议。
“多年来我非常抑郁，决定就此销声匿迹，因此染上了毒品，”他在2015年告诉《圣地亚哥联合论坛报》采访时说道。
《Y.M.C.A.》的歌词呼吁“年轻人”前往纽约的基督教青年会，这首歌成为了 LGBTQ 群体及其他群体的颂歌。
但有人称，自该歌曲被美国右翼运动挪用，用于支持特朗普的集会和活动。
“我不支持特朗普，我从未支持过特朗普，Village People也从未支持过他，”威利斯2020年接受BBC采访时表示。“但由于美国的版权法，他可以随时播放我们的音乐。”
2025年1月，在这位共和党人就职连任总统之前，该乐队曾在特朗普的集会上表演了《Y.M.C.A.》。
“让我们给特朗普总统一个机会，不管你过去对他有何看法，”威利斯当时说道。“让我们看看他接下来会怎么做，如果他确实做出限制 LGBTQ 权利的行为，Village People将第一个站出来发声。”
2012年，威利斯离开组合期间，一名法官裁定这位歌手至少可以收回包括《Y.M.C.A.》、《Macho Man》和《In the Navy》等二十余首歌曲的部分版权。据BBC新闻报道，这一决议为他2017年回归组合铺平了道路。
Victor Willis, Village People lead singer, dies at 74
July 1, 2026 6:56 AM EDT / CBS/AFP
Victor Willis, lead singer of the disco group Village People whose hit “Y.M.C.A.” became a fixture at rallies for President Trump, has died, his wife and the band said in Facebook posts on Wednesday. He was 74.
“It is with profound sadness that I must announce the death of my husband, VICTOR WILLIS,” Karen-Huff Willis said in a statement on the musician’s Facebook page. “Victor passed away on Tuesday June 30, 2026 as a result of a short, but aggressive illness.”
The band shared a similar statement on its Facebook page.
The Texas-born musician was a co-founder of the Village People and co-wrote hits including “Y.M.C.A,” “In the Navy” and “Macho Man” that swept the world’s dancefloors in the late 1970s.
With their flamboyant costumes and choreography, the group became a pop culture phenomenon, targeting disco’s large gay audience with camp fantasy characters of butch builders, bikers, cowboys and soldiers.
Willis left the group in 1980 but rejoined in 2017.
Angel Morales, Victor Willis (center) and J.J. Lippold of Village People perform during Riot Fest at Douglas Park on Sept. 15, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Redferns/Getty
He struggled with drug addiction and took a plea deal over cocaine possession in 2006.
“I got very depressed over the years and decided to just drop off the map. So I got into drugs,” he told the San Diego Union Tribune in 2015.
“Y.M.C.A.,” whose lyrics urge “young men” to head to the Young Men’s Christian Association in New York, became an anthem for the LGBTQ community and beyond.
But some say the song has been co-opted by the American right wing movement following its use at rallies and events supporting Mr. Trump.
“I don’t endorse Trump, I’ve never endorsed Trump, nor has the Village People,” Willis told the BBC in 2020. “But because of the copyright laws in the United States, he’s able to play our music any time he wants to.”
The band performed “Y.M.C.A.” at a Trump rally in January 2025, before the Republican was inaugurated for his second term as president.
“Let’s give President Trump a chance, regardless of what you may have thought about him in the past,” Willis said at the time. “Let’s see what he’s going to do moving forward, and if he does things to restrict LGBTQ rights, Village People will be the first to speak out.”
In 2012, when Willis was away from the group, a judge ruled the singer could reclaim at least partial ownership of the copyrights to more than two dozen of the their songs, including “Y.M.C.A.,” “Macho Man” and “In the Navy.” The resolution paved the way for his return to the group in 2017, BBC News reported.
发表回复