Tom Bergeron Found Out About Len Goodman's Passing By Text Message

The world is still mourning the loss of former "Dancing With the Stars" judge and "Strictly Come Dancing" alum Len Goodman. The 78-year-old died peacefully while in hospice care in Kent, England. The cause, according to his agent, was bone cancer.

Now, former "Dancing With the Stars" host Tom Bergeron reveals how he found out about the passing of his former co-star.

Tom Bergeron, who worked alongside Len Goodman for years on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," found out about his passing after seeing a text from his sister.

"I woke up this morning to a text from my sister, and it said, 'Sorry to hear about Len,' and that's the first that I had heard or read about it, so then I went online and saw the numerous stories of his passing," Bergeron told ET.

After processing the news, he reflected on his time working with the former "Dancing With the Tars" judge, remembering his smile and honesty.

"That smile, that twinkle in the eye. Grouchiness that he would ratchet up for TV," Bergeron said. "I would think of times when -- 'cause his critiques were always 100 percent honest, but he would ratchet up when doing a commercial break. He'd call me over and go, 'That was good, wasn't it?' 'Oh yeah, that was good, yeah.' I think the touchy part was more show than his actual personality."

Bergeron and Goodman appeared on the reality competition show together from 2005 to 2019. Over the years of working together, Bergeron could see why people respected Goodman so much. "I think that over the years of the show, you can see that it was his critique that would tend to be the most specific in terms of ballroom style, and as the show kind of morphed over the years and ballroom style kind of got lost in the shuffle sometimes, Len would always bring it back to that," Bergeron said.

"I think that's why his opinion, and no disrespect to Bruno, Carrie Ann, Derek, or Julianne back to when she was a judge, but I think they too would agree that it was Len's critique and opinion that everybody valued most," he added.

Shortly after the news broke, ABC, who Len Goodman worked with for years while on "Dancing With the Stars," released a statement that read, "Len Goodman will always be an icon in the world of ballroom dance, and we were lucky to have him as part of our Dancing With the Stars family for 31 seasons. He was warm and caring and always delivered genuine guidance. We are devastated by the news of his passing, and our hearts are with his family during this difficult time."

Derek Hough, who worked alongside Len Goodman for the last few seasons of "Dancing With the Stars" as a judge, shared a tribute to TikTok, writing, "'Hold my gaze.' Heartbroken by the news of our dear friend and mentor, Len Goodman. It's a gloomy morning here in Los Angeles, which seems fitting after this heartbreaking news. But when I think back at the memories we all shared with Len, his sense of humor, his smile, and his charm, everything feels much brighter and full of sunshine. Still hard to fully process but filled with gratitude knowing I had the privilege of working beside this absolute legend."

A few months ago, Len Goodman announced he would be retiring from the ABC reality show to spend more time in his home country of the United Kingdom. He concluded his time with "Dancing With the Stars" last season.