“Dancing with the Stars” judge Len Goodman has died. He was 78.
“It is with great sadness to announce that Len Goodman has passed away peacefully,” his manager, Jackie Gill, confirmed to USA TODAY Monday.
Goodman was a beloved husband, father and grandfather who will be missed by those who knew him, the statement read.
He had previously been diagnosed with bone cancer.
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Goodman, who was head judge of “Dancing With the Stars” since its 2005 premiere, announced in November “with a touch of sadness” that the season would be his last on the judge’s panel after 17 years. The show moved to Disney+ in the fall of 2022 after 30 seasons on ABC.
“It has been a huge pleasure to be a part of such a wonderful show,” he said at the time. “But I’ve decided I’d like to spend more time with my grandchildren and family back in Britain. I could not thank you enough, my ‘Dancing With The Stars’ family, it’s been such a wonderful experience for me.”
A former professional ballroom dancer and British champion, Goodman was also head judge on “Strictly Come Dancing” for 12 years from its launch on the BBC in 2004. Like “DWTS,” the dance competition pairs celebrities with professional dance partners. It was a surprise hit and has become one of the network’s most popular shows.
For several years he judged the British and American shows simultaneously each autumn, crisscrossing the Atlantic weekly.
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Goodman’s pithy observations, delivered in a Cockney accent, endeared him to viewers. “You floated across that floor like butter on a crumpet,” he remarked after one foxtrot. He praised a salsa-dancing couple as “like two sizzling sausages on a barbecue.”
British broadcaster Esther Rantzen said Goodman had been “astonished and delighted” by his late-life fame.
“One of the reasons he succeeded so well in the States is that he was quintessentially British,” she said. “He was firm but fair, funny but a gentleman and I hope the nation will adopt his favorite expostulation of ‘pickle me walnuts.’”
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Goodman also presented BBC radio programs and made TV documentaries, including a 2012 program about the sinking of the Titanic. As a young man, Goodman had worked as a shipyard welder for the company that built the doomed ship.
BBC director-general Tim Davie said Goodman was “a wonderful, warm entertainer who was adored by millions. He appealed to all ages and felt like a member of everyone’s family. Len was at the very heart of Strictly’s success. He will be hugely missed by the public and his many friends and family.”
Goodman was also a recipient of the Carl Alan Award in recognition of outstanding contributions to dance, and owned the Goodman Academy dance school in southern England.
Contributing: Naledi Ushe, Elise Brisco, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
