Felipé Rose

Felipe Ortiz Rose (born January 12, 1954) is an American musician who was an original member of the disco group the Village People. While in the group, he performed as "The Indian", Rose has said his father was Mescalero Apache, Lakota, and Cherokee. He was raised in Brooklyn, where he displayed an interest in the arts during his childhood, and first dressed as "an Indian" while in school for "the Christopher Columbus parade and celebration." thumb The Village People receive their Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Rose is center front.After a brief hiatus in the 1980s, Village People reformed with most of the 1970s lineup, and the members were board of directors for Sixuvus Ltd ("six of us" - named for the six members of the Village People), who managed the affairs and licensing of the Village People name.

His single "Trails of Tears" won a NAMMY (Native American Music Awards) for Best Historical Recording.

Rose has appeared in the movies Can't Stop the Music (1980), The Best of Village People (1993), and Feathers and Leathers: The Story of the Village People (1999). He also participated in the 2000 documentary, Village People: The E! True Hollywood Story. He first performed the song during a tribute show of the 40th anniversary of Saturday Night Fever.

After his mother's death, Rose moved to Richmond, Virginia. He briefly lived in Jersey City, New Jersey, though he found it to be too crowded. When asked if this was used for gay marriages, Rose claimed he once spontaneously married a gay couple while aboard a ship in Australia.