‘Dancing With the Stars’ choose Len Goodman dies at 78

LONDON (AP) — Len Goodman, the urbane, long-serving choose on “Dancing with the Stars” and “Strictly Come Dancing,” has died, his agent stated Monday. He was 78.

Agent Jackie Gill stated Goodman “passed away peacefully.” He had been identified with bone most cancers.

A former skilled ballroom dancer and British champion, Goodman was a choose on “Strictly Come Dancing” for 12 years from its launch on the BBC in 2004. The dance competitors, which pairs celebrities with skilled dance companions, was a shock hit and has turn into one of many community’s hottest exhibits.

Goodman was head choose on the U.S. model of the present, ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars,” for 15 years till his retirement in November. For a number of years he

Goodman additionally introduced BBC radio applications and made TV documentaries, together with a 2012 program concerning the sinking of the Titanic. As a younger man, Goodman had labored as a shipyard welder for the corporate that constructed the doomed ship.

BBC director-general Tim Davie stated 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.”

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