LONDON — Len Goodman, a former British exhibition dance champion who was a longtime judge on the hit BBC reality competition “Strictly Come Dancing,” as well as its American spinoff, “Dancing With the Stars,” died on Saturday in a hospice in Kent, England. He was 78.
The cause was bone cancer, his agent, Jackie Gill, said on Monday. Mr. Goodman, who had been working until up to a few weeks ago, was with his wife, Sue Barrett, and his son, James, when he died, Ms. Gill added.
Len Goodman,Judge, Dies at 78
Mr. Goodman was the head judge on “Strictly Come Dancing” from its debut in 2004 until 2016. The show, in which celebrities are paired with professional dancers, has been one of the BBC’s top-rated programs. It has been exported to dozens of countries around the world, including the United States, where “Dancing With the Stars” premiered on ABC in 2005.
“He retained his sense of humor during his illness and dealt with it with great dignity,” said Ms. Gill. “He was always a true gentleman. He loved his work and never took anything for granted.”
Leonard Gordon Goodman was born in Bethnal Green, London, his agent said. He moved to Blackfen, then in Kent, England, and now part of London, when he was 6 and attended Westwood Secondary Modern School. He started dancing when he was 19, relatively late in life for someone who later becomes a professional, according to Ms. Gill.
Mr. Goodman went on to have a successful career as a dancer, winning Dual of the Giants, the British Rising Stars, the British Exhibition Championships (four times) and the World Exhibition Championships. He then opened the Goodman Academy, a dance school in Dartford, England.
His first marriage, to the dancer Cherry Kingston in 1972, ended in divorce. He later had a son, and he married Ms. Barrett in 2012. In addition to his wife and son, Mr. Goodman is survived by his two grandchildren.
Tributes to Mr. Goodman poured in on Monday, including from the office of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of Britain and from Buckingham Palace. Camilla, the queen consort, who danced with Mr. Goodman in 2019 at a military members club in London, was “saddened” by the news of his death, the palace said on Monday.
