Strictly Come Dance legend Lynn Goodman’s cause of death was revealed today as bone cancer.
Goodman’s spokeswoman confirmed the cause of death after he died on Saturday evening at the age of 78, having been in hospice in Tunbridge Wells in Kent after a short illness.
“I can confirm that he passed away peacefully over the weekend surrounded by his family,” the spokeswoman told MailOnline. He would have turned 79 tomorrow.
As a judge on Strictly between 2004 and 2016, Goodman was popular with fans for his knowledge and sense of humor. He also appeared on the US version of Dancing With the Stars from 2005 until November 2022, where he was last seen on television, announcing that he was retiring to spend more time with his wife and grandchildren.
In December, Lane revealed how he spends his Saturday nights since his retirement — screaming at the TV while watching Strictly and especially Craig Revel Horwood — or “bl**dy Craig,” as Lane called him.
Strictly Come Dancing and Dancing with the Stars head judge Len Goodman, photographer with wife Sue Barrett, has died at the age of 78
Lynn’s last appearance on Dancing with the Stars in the US last November
Although Lane liked to give a ten on Strictly, millions across the country know him well for the way he gave a seven to dancers during his 12 years on the show.
Lin retired last year and said he wants to spend more time with his wife, Sue, and his grandchildren. Pictured: Lynn with his grandson Jack
Lane is believed to have died in hospice in Tunbridge Wells after a short illness.
Prominent figures in the world of the entertainment industry will mourn his death, after a stellar career that spanned six decades.
Born in London, on 25 April 1944, he started his working life as an apprentice welder at Harland & Wolff in Woolwich, wanting to be a footballer.
He only started dancing at the age of 20, after being recommended by his doctor to help him recover from a foot injury.
He turned professional and enjoyed a successful competitive dance career, which included winning Dual of the Giants, British Rising Stars, British Exhibition Championships (four times), and World Exhibition Championships in the early 1970s.
In retirement he founded the Goodman Academy of Dance in Kent. He has been an examiner for the National Association of Teachers of Dance, a Fellow of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance, and a judge for the World Dance Council.
His unrivaled knowledge of Latin and Ballroom, as well as his penchant for good metaphors, made him a meticulous fan favorite of millions in later years, with his trademark shouts of “Seven!” Points are heard long after he has left the programme.
Lynn has performed on numerous television and radio appearances in the UK and has also been a successful presenter on many programmes, as well as starring on the Strictly Live Tour for many years.
He has produced several DVDs for the dance education industry as well as an instructional DVD for the general public called Dance With Len Goodman
He published his autobiography Better Late Than Never: From Barrow Boy to Ballroom in 2009, and it was followed by two more books, Len’s Lost London and Dancing Around Britain.
He announced last November on Dancing With The Stars that he would hang up his scoring racket for the last time at the end of that series, telling viewers, “This will be my last season judging Dancing With the Stars.”
I’ve been on the show since it started in 2005, and it was a pleasure to be part of such a great show, but I decided to spend more time with my grandchildren and family in Britain,” Goodman added.
He recently said he laughs every time he thinks about how he’ll audition for Strictly on his 60th birthday, which is when most people think of retirement.
Len became a household name to a generation of fans after joining Strictly – but he was also a famous dancer as a younger man.
Goodman was diagnosed with prostate cancer in March 2009, which was treated with surgery at a London hospital.
In September 2021, it was reported that he had undergone surgery the previous year for small facial skin cancer.
Previously, Lynn was married to his dance partner, Sherri Kingston, but later they divorced. He then had a long-term relationship with a woman named Leslie and they had a son, James.
He told The Mail last year it still tickled him that he underwent a rigorous performance on his 60th birthday, which is when most people consider retirement. He still had a mortgage, and he also told me his dance school was making a small profit.
Then the great bright ball appeared from the sky, “and changed my life.”
“I remember coming home to (my wife) Sue saying, ‘They want to pay me £1,000 for the episode and they’ll get me in a car and take me home again. “
For 12 years, he ruled the helm of Strictly, and was then relegated to the flashiest American version, Dancing with the Stars. It was an unlikely export, but it quickly caught on.
Some of the things that came out confused them (the Americans) a bit. I remember I said, “Give her a good one,” and they said, Willie? What is Willy? But someone said to me, early doors: “Be yourself and be honest” and I stuck to that as best I could.
