Celebrities

Former ‘Dancing with the Stars’ judge Len Goodman dead at 78

Goodman’s manager confirmed his death in a statement made on Monday morning.

Fred ProuserREUTERS

Len Goodman, former head judge on the popular reality dance show ‘Dancing with the Stars’, has passed away at the age of 78.

The news was confirmed by Goodman’s manager, Jackie Gill, in a statement made to the BBC News on Monday morning.

“It is with great sadness to announce that Len Goodman has passed away peacefully, aged 78,” Gill said. “A much loved husband, father and grandfather who will be sorely missed by family, friends and all who knew him.”

According to the BBC, Goodman passed away at a hospice in Kent, England on Saturday from bone cancer.

Old colleagues reach out

Goodman was a judge on ‘Dancing with the Stars’ from 2005 to 2022 when he retired. He was often accompanied on the show by fellow judges Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli, both of whom expressed their love and grief for Goodman on social media.

Inaba shared a video compilation on Instagram of her shared moments with Goodman. The post was captioned with, “Saying goodbye at the end of last season broke my heart. But today’s news has shattered it all over again. I can’t believe that you’re gone.

“You were one of a kind my dear friend. And I will cherish our memories and hold them close, while I join so many others in mourning your loss.

“Thank you for all that you shared with us. Your humor, your wisdom, your wit and your truth.”

Tonioli shared a picture of himself and Goodman to his Instagram with a caption that read, “Heart broken my dear friend and partner for 19 years the one and only ballroom legend #lengoodman passed away I will treasure the memory of our incredible adventures and hundreds of shows we did together @bbcstrictly @dancingwiththestars they will never be anyone like you we will miss you.”

Goodman’s career

Goodman used to be an apprentice welder before taking up dance at the age of 19. Eventually, he became a professional dancer and competed in various competitions.

After winning the British Championships in his late 20′s, Goodman retired from dancing and took up the occupation of being a dance judge and coach.

Later, he became a head judge on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ which is a position he held from 2004 to 2016 alongside his tenure at ‘Dancing with the Stars’.

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