Len Goodman made an eerie prediction about his own death
Len Goodman, the legendary ballroom dancer and “Dancing With the Stars” judge who died Monday, eerily predicted his own death.
He previously revealed that he expected he would meet his maker at age 79.
When Goodman passed this week after battling bone cancer, he was just three days shy of 79.
“Bing Crosby had the right idea. He played 18 holes of golf, then, bosh, dropped down dead,” he said in a December interview with the Daily Mail. “I don’t want a load of lingering.
“My dad had the right idea, too,” the professional dancer continued. “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’s manager announced the British ballroom dancer’s passing on Monday, saying he died in hospice care in Kent, England, surrounded by his family.
“It is with great sadness to announce that Len Goodman has passed away peacefully, aged 78,” his manager Jackie Gill said in a statement. “A much-loved husband, father and grandfather who will be sorely missed by family, friends and all who knew him.”
The tenured “DWTS” judge appeared on the US dance competition show from 2005 to 2022 and served as the head judge on the British version, titled “Strictly Come Dancing,” from 2004 to 2016.
In 2022, after 17 years, Goodman announced his departure from “DWTS.”
“I got the call to be a judge three days before the first show,” he said at the time, according to Variety. “Little Len! Who am I? I’m just a dance teacher from Dartford. Suddenly, I’m thrust into Hollywood. I got the reputation for being the tough judge, because what I see is what I say.”
Dancers and Hollywood pals paid tribute to Goodman — who also appeared as a presenter for numerous shows, including “Partners in Rhyme” — calling him “a wonderful, warm entertainer” who will be “hugely missed.”
Prior to his bone cancer diagnosis, he underwent treatment for prostate cancer in 2009, and in 2020 he revealed he had surgery on his forehead due to facial melanoma.
He is survived by his wife, Sue Barrett, and his son, James Goodman.
