Victor Willis, a singer for the Village People, sadly passed away on June 30. His wife, Karen Willis, has
now confirmed what led to his death, noting that he died of primary liver cancer with metastasis.Videos by Wide Open Country
"Primary liver cancer runs in Victor's family as his mother also died of primary liver cancer, and so has several other relatives," Karen wrote on Facebook.
An interesting fact about Willis' time with the Village People is that he wrote and sang their timeless "Y.M.C.A." hit, which has now become an anthem. That song has recently found its way back into the mainstream, courtesy of President Donald Trump, who often plays it at his rallies.
"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!!!" President Trump wrote when learning of Willis' death.
While Willis' cause of death has now been confirmed. There has been no information regarding his funeral, which as most likely already taken place. In truth, that information likely remained private, allowing his family and friends to grieve outside of the public eye.
Fans Shared Their Condolences Upon Learning About the Death of Victor Willis
Upon learning of Willis' death back in June, fans shared their condolences and well-wishes on social media.
"He created the song that I forever link with my teens, and therefore precious memories for me. I hope you will take precious memories forward with you of the legend himself," one user wrote.
Another user praised the impact Willis had. "Very few people can claim that they changed the music industry and music in general. Elvis, The Beatles, The Sex Pistols, and The Village People are on that very short list. He changed the world one note at a time"
A third user simply shared their condolences while noting how much of a fan they were.
"So sorry to hear this...Huge fan of his music...While I never had the honor of meeting him, I did have a few brief conversations about music with him on Facebook (he was always so nice during these)...My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, family, and fellow band mates!!"
Now that Willis' cause of death has been released, his family will hope they can move forward without public interest. After all, grief isn't something you want to navigate in public.
