Len Goodman Said Something Surprising in His Final Interview

Len Goodman talked about dying in his final interview with a UK publication.

On April 22, 2023, the 78-year-old “Dancing With the Stars” judge died at a hospice in Kent, England, after he was diagnosed with bone cancer, according to Variety. Goodman’s death came just three days shy of his 79^th birthday, which was a milestone he mentioned in a December 2022 interview with the Daily Mail.

Here’s what you need to know:

Len Goodman talked About Dying at Age 79

ABCThe ‘Dancing With the Stars’ season 30 judges

Goodman was the head judge on “Dancing With the Stars” from 2005 until his retirement in November 2022.  The British choreographer explained that he felt it was time to retire from the celebrity ballroom show before he got much older.

“Doing a live show, you have to be at the top of your game and quick to react. And as one gets older, then things start to get more challenging,” he explained to People in November 2022. “I haven’t fallen asleep or started dribbling yet on the show, so I thought it’s best to go before I start to do so!”

Goodman also brought up his age when speaking with The Telegraph that year. “When you get to a certain age, you realize the most important thing is family,” he said, before revealing that he planned to spend more time with his wife, son, and grandchildren in Britain.

In his final interview with The Daily Mail in December 2022, Goodman talked about being just a few months away from his 79^th birthday. He also noted that his father, Leonard Goodman, died at that age. “My dad had the right idea,” Goodman said. “He loved gardening and he had a stroke while he was out in the garden. He was 79 so if I go the way of my dad, that’ll be next year.”

Goodman also reflected on his life and noted that he expected that just like a car, his engine would someday “conk out.” Of his charmed life, he said his journey had been “lovely.”

Goodman went so far as to come up with his own obituary. “Just write: ‘He was a dance teacher from Dartford who got lucky’. Because that’s just about the truth of it,” he told The Daily Mail interviewer.

Tom Bergeron Came up With a Shorter Epitaph for Len Goodman

ABC/Eric McCandlessPictured: Carrie Ann Inaba, Tom Bergeron, Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli

Many of Goodman’s “Dancing With the Stars” colleagues spoke out in the days following his death. Former DWTS host Tom Bergeron did a video interview with Extra TV’s Billy Bush and admitted that he had been a bit concerned that something was going on healthwise when Goodman retired from the celebrity ballroom competition. But he also recalled the fun times with the self-described “grumpy judge.”

“You know one of his social media handles was always grouchy Len Goodman,” Bergeron said. “In truth, what I’ll remember is the smile and the twinkle in the eye.”

When Bush asked him what he would write if he were asked to come up with the epitaph for Goodman’s tombstone, Bergeron kept it simple.

“You know I put out a montage of pictures this morning on my Instagram page and I was thinking so much about what to say and all I said simply was ‘a good man’ indeed.”

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