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The Village People wore their iconic costumes to honor late bandmate Victor Willis at his funeral
Band members’ outfits reflected their signature personas, including a cowboy, Native American chief, and construction worker
Victor Willis, the group’s lead singer, passed away at age 74 after a short illness, the band shared on Facebook at the time
Victor Willis’s bandmates paid a special tribute to the late singer at his funeral.
After Willis’s death at 74 on June 30, the remaining band members of the Village People decided to forgo traditional funeral attire — instead arriving in their respective costumes, quintessential to the band’s performances.
The band’s costumes — each a nod to a different hypermasculine archetype —stood in stark contrast to the group’s festive disco tunes, thus capturing the essence of the Village People.
Felipe Rose at Victor Willis’s funeral.Credit: BACKGRID
Felipe Rose, also a founding member of the band, wore the traditional attire of a Native American chief. Of American Indigenous descent himself, Rose’s costume — which faced criticism for appropriation and stereotyping of Native American cultures — featured a large red and white feather headdress and traditional beading patterns.
At Willis’s funeral, Rose wore a similar look complete with the cascading headpiece, plus a sleeveless brown top and trousers.
David Hodo was the band’s construction worker, often wearing jeans, a work belt, some sort of button-up and his quintessential hard hat. Though he traded his workwear shirts for a construction vest for Willis’s funeral, he was still instantly recognizable by his bright white helmet.
Known for his “G.I.” attire, Alex Briley historically dressed as a United States soldier, sporting army green and camouflage, combat boots, and a matching cap. For Willis’s funeral, Briley returned to his roots, donning a camo work shirt and matching pants, tucked into his boots, plus an army hat.
Alex Briley at Victor Willis’s funeral.Credit: BACKGRID
As the band’s cowboy, Randy Jones usually got into character with a suede vest, jeans, some heeled cowboy boots and — of course — a cowboy hat to bring it all together. Jones leaned into the look when paying his respects to Willis, adding leather gloves, a neckerchief and a pair of chaps.
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Willis had two costumes: the police officer and the admiral, both of which featured crisp, neat uniforms and structured hats. Preceding Willis in death was Glenn Hughes, who was the Village People’s biker or Leatherman, and accordingly dressed head to toe in leather ensembles.
The Village People confirmed Willis’s death on Facebook on July 1, writing that the group’s lead singer died the day prior following a “short but aggressive illness.”
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