Two years ago, the “Dancing with the Stars” family lost a legend when judge Len Goodman died. On the anniversary of Goodman’s death, a handful of DWTS pros shared their thoughts and memories about the beloved entertainer.
Britt Stewart Noted Len Goodman Was ‘Loved for a Reason’
On April 23, Us Weekly shared tidbits from what the “Dancing with the Stars” pros had to say about Goodman. They caught up with the pros at the Hulu “Get Real” event on April 22.
Britt Stewart shared, “I’ll just say that he was loved for a reason, and it doesn’t matter what your connection was with the show. Whether you were a viewer, a pro dancer, a celebrity, part of the crew — it doesn’t matter your connection. There is a place in your heart for Len, and I think it’s beautiful that his memory will live on within us forever.”
Rylee Arnold never competed as a pro with Goodman as a judge, due to the timing of his retirement. However, she considered him “such an inspiration in my life.”
Arnold shared, “He is a legend in the dance world and the ‘Dancing with the Stars’ world. He completely brought the professionalism and class to ‘Dancing with the Stars.'”
She added, “He was such a vital coach and judge… I looked up to him my whole entire life, and he was a legend since I entered into the dance world.”
“He’s just so awesome and he will always, always be missed,” Arnold noted.
Daniella Karagach Said the DWTS Judge Had the ‘Most Beautiful Soul’
Daniella Karagach noted that Goodman was “authentic to himself. He didn’t care what other people thought. He just did him, and that’s why he’s so respected.”
Karagach continued, “He’s just the most beautiful dancer and was just the most beautiful soul.”
Fellow “Dancing with the Stars” pro Pasha Pashkov, who is also married to Karagach, credited Goodman as “the one who gave me a very big welcome into ‘Dancing with the Stars.'”
Pashkov explained, “He gave me the confidence. One time, I heard him compliment the choreography, and that just gave me such peace of mind and confidence because it came from him.”
Goodman and Pashkov first met when Pashkov was a teen competing in dance. “He was someone I looked up to and someone’s opinion who I looked up to. It was very interesting how our lives ended up being in such a way that he ended up being in the TV world and we later joined the same show. Our path continued to intertwine,” Pashkov noted.
Ezra Sosa is another “Dancing with the Stars” pro who never had the chance to compete on “Dancing with the Stars” as a regular pro in front of Goodman. Despite that, Sosa gushed over what Goodman did for the series.
“Our respect for him goes beyond what you see on camera and the legacy that he just made for all of us,” Sosa shared.
He added, “He literally brought legitimacy to the show, which was probably a really hard thing for him to do… It’s heartbreaking that he’s gone. It really is such a huge loss for us.”
