He devoted his life to the glitz and glam-filled institution and and now’s he’s being remembered for the bright and far-reaching light of his own legacy.
However, despite the enormity of that loss for fans, colleagues and celebrities who’ve long loved the hoofer-turned-reality TV staple, Goodman’s death hasn’t made for a dark day in the ballroom. Instead, the man who devoted his life to the glitz and glam-filled institution and is being remembered and celebrated for the bright and far-reaching light of his own legacy.
After all, without Goodman, who DWTS referred to as “an icon in the world of ballroom dance,” it’s unlikely television’s ballroom bashes would have ever reached the heights they have over nearly two decades on the air.
Goodman brought gravitas and legitimacy to the dancing franchise that now boasts dozens of iterations around the world. While he was joined by fellow judges with dance and choreography experience on both sides of the Atlantic, like DWTS’s veterans Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba, Goodman started out as the lone panelist with a real history in the ballroom, as well as an encyclopedic knowledge of the dances and long familiarity of the dancing pros who eventually joined the competition.
Having launched his own career as a competitive ballroom dancer at 19, Goodman hung up his dancing shoes just 8 years later, after winning the celebrated British Championships.
