ME and my MONEY

SINGER and songwriter Victor Willis, from iconic 1970s disco band Village People, is still making several million dollars a year from the hit Y.M.C.A.

Willis, who dressed as a motorcycle cop when performing the 1978 song, says it took him just six hours to write the lyrics.

He currently owns half of the copyright to all the Village People’s songs and says his music catalogue represents his pension.

Willis regained his share of the copyright in 2012 in a landmark legal ruling that set a precedent for other American artists wishing to terminate long contracts with record labels and publishers.

The 66-year-old now lives in a multi-million dollar six-bedroom mansion in San Diego, California. He regularly goes on luxury cruises with his wife Karen, booking the most deluxe cabin without having to consider the cost.

The most expensive thing he has ever bought, just for fun, was a gold Cartier watch encrusted with diamonds. It cost him $100,000.

It is a far cry from his humble beginnings in San Francisco where he grew up the son of a Baptist minister and worked in the local grocery store stacking shelves and taking out the rubbish.

Willis will join other top disco artists as part of the 40 Years Of Disco 2 Tour next year. He will sing hit songs from his time with the Village People at venues across the UK from March. Tickets are available from website tdpromo.com.