Throat Surgery for Village People Cop

Victor Willis undergoes successful sugery to remove nodules from vocal cords

By Josh Grossberg Jul 08, 2008 6:49 PMTags
Victor Willis, Village PeopleCBS

Here's one macho man who's been laid up by some bum pipes.

Victor Willis, the original lead vocalist for the Village People, had surgery Monday to remove nodules from his vocal cords, forcing him to push back a solo tour.

According to publicist Linda Smith, Willis became hoarse after performing last year and the throat problems persisted, necessitating the surgery.

"Victor's surgery was a success, and the benign nodules were successfully removed," Smith said in a statement.

The 57-year-old entertainer is now recovering in a San Diego hospital and plans to reschedule a series of concert dates for Europe and Canada for this fall.

Dressed like a cop, Willis wrote and sang some of the costumed sextet's best-known hits, including "Y.M.C.A.," "In the Navy," "Go West" and "Macho Man."

The crooner turned in his badge in 1984 to focus on songwriting. He finally returned to the stage for a solo tour last year, after a stint in rehab following a 2005 drug bust.