‘DWTS’ Judge Len Goodman’s Cause of Death Revealed

Martin Smith October 2, 2023

Len Goodman on Dancing with the Stars — ABC/Raymond Liu

Dancing With the Stars judge Len Goodman‘s cause of death has been revealed five months after he passed away.

According to his death certificate, the British ex-ballroom dancer died after prostate cancer spread to his bones, reports the U.K.’s Daily Express.

The beloved head judge of DWTS had been on the hit ABC show since it began in 2005. When Dancing returned for its 32nd season on September 26 it was revealed that its Mirrorball Trophy, awarded to the competition’s winner, had been renamed in his honor as the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.

Dancing With The Stars - Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, Bruno Tonioli

Goodman died in a hospice in Tunbridge Wells, England, in April this year, surrounded by family. He was 78. He is survived by wife Sue Barrett and son James.

The star had a cancerous tumor on his prostate gland removed in 2009, and then skin cancer removed from his forehead in 2019. He announced his retirement from DWTS during the Season 31 semi-final in November 2022, just five months before his death. He had kept his health issues secret from fans.

“It has been a huge pleasure to be part of such a wonderful show, but I’ve decided I want to spend more time with my grandchildren and my family,” Goodman said during the episode. “I cannot thank enough the family of Dancing With the Stars. It has been such a wonderful experience for me.”

Previously, Goodman urged others to “get checked up every year” for cancer, adding that medicine is so good now “that if you do get something, then hopefully they can catch it early and you have a good chance.

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Born in London on April 25, 1944, Goodman started dancing at the age of 19 after a doctor recommended it as therapy for a foot injury. He later turned professional, winning numerous awards, including the British Championships in Blackpool in his late twenties, after which he retired. Away from DWTS, he was also a judge on the long-running British version of the show, Strictly Come Dancing.