Len Goodman, best known as the lead celebrity judge on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars”died on Saturday in a hospice in Kent, England. He was 78.
The cause was bone cancer, according to his agent, Jackie Gill.
Goodman was with the show since it first began in 2005. His dance credentials and achievements made him well-respected within the dance fraternity as well as known throughout the world.
A professional dancer and dance teacher, he dedicated his entire adult life to performing, instructing, choreographing and judging dance, and was nominated and won numerous prestigious awards over his lifetime.
Goodman had previously been a head judge on “Strictly Come Dancing,” the original UK version of “Dancing with the Stars.”
Having performed his entire adult life, specializing in the form of Ballroom called “Exhibition” dancing, Goodman won the British Exhibition four times and was the runner-up in the Exhibition World Championships. He was also awarded the British Rising Star Award, the Carl Allen Award and a Lifetime Achievement Award.
In addition he was an accomplished judge of Latin American and Ballroom professional dance competition, having served as a regular at the World and British Championships.
Goodman ran his own successful dance school, the Goodman Dance Academy, which is one of the most successful and longest-running dance schools in Kent, England, where he lived.
