DWTS honours late judge Len Goodman with moving tribute
Dancing With The Stars has shared an emotional tribute for late judge Len Goodman.
Len tragically passed away at the age of 78 in April of this year following a battle with bone cancer.
Len only retired from judging DWTS in November of last year after appearing on the show for 17 years.
During last night’s episode of the American dance competition, the professional dancers honoured Goodman by sharing heartfelt messages about him before they performed a dance.
Host Alfonso Ribeiro spoke directly to the camera as he explained, “Last fall, we were all taken by surprise when our head judge Len Goodman announced his retirement. Just a few months later, we were shocked and saddened by the news of his passing”.
“Since Len will always be at the heart of this show, our pros created a special performance in his honour. First, here are their memories of Len”.
The footage then showed multiple professional dancers including Derek Hough, Mark Ballas, Julianne Hough, Kym Johnson-Herjavec and Val Chmerkovskiy, reminiscing on their time with Len over the years.
A group of Dancing With The Stars pros then showcased a Waltz set to the song Moon River.
At the end of the moving routine, the dancers pointed towards the empty seat where Len used to sit on the judging panel, which had been illuminated.
An audio clip of Len’s voice then played as he said, “All good things must come to an end”.
Goodman’s former DWTS and Strictly Come Dancing co-judge Bruno Tonioli could be seen being moved to tears by the tribute.
Dancing With The Stars previously paid tribute to their late head judge by renaming the winner’s trophy to The Len Goodman Glitterball Trophy.
After the heartbreaking news of Len’s passing had been announced, the show shared a tear-jerking message that reads, “Len Goodman will always be an icon in the world of ballroom dance, and we were lucky to have him as part of our ‘Dancing with the Stars’ family for 31 seasons”.
“He was warm and caring, and always delivered genuine guidance. We are devastated by the news of his passing and our hearts are with his family during this very difficult time”.
