The Tragic Real-Life Story Of The Village People

The Village People made some of the happiest music in pop music. Off stage, however, the members of the iconic group suffered greatly. Here's a look into the tragic life stories of the people behind the Village People.

Playing the role of the policeman, Victor Willis wasn't only the lead singer of the Village People during its 1970s hit parade, he was also one of its songwriters. Along with group architects Jacques Morali and Henri Belolo, Willis wrote more than a dozen Village People songs, including "In the Navy," "Go West," and "Y.M.C.A." As such, he owned one-third of the copyrights, as well as the ensuing royalties, for those songs for years to come.

However, in 2011 Willis sued to get 50 percent credit, alleging that the copyright deals he'd signed back in the 1970s were legally suspect or invalid. Willis emerged as the victor in that suit in 2015, striking Belolo's name from the credits of 13 of the Village People's most well-known and profitable songs and increasing Willis' cut of the proceeds.

In 2017, Willis won another lawsuit with his former group. The courts granted the singer the rights to the name of the band that he'd left decades earlier. At that time, a version of the group was still occasionally playing gigs around the world, but when Willis took charge, he put a stop to that. He fired every person then-singing in the Village People.

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Victor Willis sued the group | 0:00
Victor Willis' drug problem | 1:18
Victor Willis lost his voice | 2:17
The group's movie bombed | 3:09
The post-disco era | 4:34
Glenn Hughes dies | 5:21
Jacques Morali dies of AIDS | 6:30
Sudden death of Henri Belolo | 7:49

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