"Dancing With the Stars" paid a touching tribute Tuesday to late head judge Len Goodman.
Contestants in ABC's ballroom dancing competition provided a look back at Goodman's career, including video tributes and performances, after the legendary head judge died in April at 78.
The tribute on Tuesday night's episode incorporated many past and present professional dancers on the show, including Valentin Chmerkovskiy, Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Jenna Johnson, Peta Murgatroyd, Louis van Amstel, Karina Smirnoff, Mark Ballas and Tony Dovolani.
In its 32nd season, which kicked off on Sept. 26, "DWTS" contestants are now vying for the renamed Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, executive producer Conrad Green told USA TODAY.
"Dancing with the Stars" professional dancers shared their memories of Goodman, many from a young age.
"I knew Len from when I was 10 years old, so this show felt like, this is home, this is family," said co-host and two-time "DWTS" champion Julianne Hough.
"He's been in my life since the very beginning," said Ballas, three-time champion. "To me, he was just like Len, my mum's friend and dance teacher."
A prominent figure in ballroom, the dancers talked about how he "catapulted" from the small ballroom community to prime time television.
"He was very well respected within the ballroom community," Kym Johnson-Herjavec, two-time "DWTS" champion, said. "You were gonna get the truth from Len Goodman. But he'd do it with this little twinkle. And you took it."
"Ballroom world will never be the same without Len," Anna Trebunskaya, a Season 10 finalist, said.
"One of the things I'm most thankful for being able to judge alongside Len is that I was able to spend a little more extra time with him," said judge and six-time champion Derek Hough. "And for that, I'm really thankful."
Hough joined the dance tribute, a melancholy performance of a "clean, simple" waltz by a dozen pairs of dancers as the late judge's wife, Sue Goodman, looked on.
Professional dancer and longtime "DWTS" star Cheryl Burke was noticeably absent after retiring following Season 30.
"For those of you asking if I’ll be a part of Len Goodman's tribute next week on DWTS, unfortunately, I wasn’t invited," Burke said on Threads on Oct. 19. "However, I'll be there in spirit and can’t wait to cheer my former colleagues on! Sending love and light to everyone. 🤍🙏🏼 #riplen."
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On Tuesday, she posted her own tribute to Goodman, whom she said "made such a huge impact on my life" even before joining "DWTS."
"Thank you for being the face of ballroom dancing and always standing by what was right, no matter what. You are such a huge part of the reason why 'Dancing with the Stars' is a massive hit as the premise is about teaching celebrities how to ballroom dance, and the word 'ballroom' before the word 'dance' was all because of your many decades worth of knowledge and experience," Burke said in an emotional video posted on Instagram.
She went on to thank the late "DWTS" judge for his "tough love and no B.S. approach."
Burke got tearful as she expressed how she always wanted to make Goodman "proud" and wished her former colleagues luck on their performance. "I know that Len would give your performance an 11 if he could," she said.
Contributing: Bryan Alexander
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