Dancing With The Stars Legends Who Have Sadly Died

There's no question that "Dancing with the Stars" is one of the biggest TV hits in recent memory. In fall 2025, the show debuted its 34th season, with ratings on the rise — an unheard-of phenomenon in television for a show that premiered way back in 2005. During the course of the show's extraordinary run, more than 400 celebrities have taken to the show's famed dance floor to show off their mastery (or lack thereof) of such dance moves as the cha-cha, the tango, the quickstep, the jive, and more. These dancing stars have run the gamut, ranging from actors, to pop stars, to athletes, to reality TV stars, to social media personalities, and all stops in between.

Those who've managed to survive the scrutiny of the judges and the show's viewers have danced off with the coveted Mirrorball Trophy, an eclectic group that's included the likes of soap star Kelly Monaco, former teen idol Donny Osmond, "Dirty Dancing" star Jennifer Grey, radio deejay Bobby Bones, former "Bachelorette" Hannah Brown, and "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" alum turned "DWTS" host Alphonso Riberio, to highlight just a few. 

Over the course of all those seasons, spanning two decades and counting, some of those contestants who captured viewers' hearts while appearing on the show have passed on. To learn more about these dearly departed celebrities, read on for a look at some "Dancing With the Stars" legends who have sadly died.

Once the mayor of Cincinnati, Jerry Springer reinvented himself as a talk show host in the early 1990s. "The Jerry Springer Show" went on to become a TV phenomenon thanks to its chaotic nature, scandalous guests, and brawls that broke out so frequently that security guards were posted onstage (one of whom, Steve Wilkos, wound up hosting his own trashy talk show).

Prior to his 2023 death from pancreatic cancer at age 79, Springer spent two seasons hosting "America's Got Talent," wrote a bestselling memoir, starred in his own movie, and competed on "Dancing with the Stars" during its third season. While Springer was far from one of the best dancers to ever appear on the show, his goal was a modest one, hoping to stick around long enough so he could learn how to dance a waltz at his daughter's wedding.

"'Dancing with the Stars' turned out to be really fun," Springer told the "Behind the Velvet Rope" podcast. "I would never do it again because I realized how difficult it was. What was fun about it is that I was totally outside my comfort zone. And I, as much as possible, tried to turn it into my comfort zone by instead of selling my dancing, which was hopeless, I would tell jokes ... I would keep begging each week, 'Please don't vote for me.'"

When looking back on tragic details about Shannen Doherty, it's impossible to ignore her death at the far-too-young age of 53, succumbing to terminal cancer in 2024. Doherty, of course, rocketed to fame as one of the young stars of TV phenom "Beverly Hills, 90210," before parting ways with the show amid reports she was difficult on the set. She returned with another TV hit, "Charmed," only to exit that show under similarly murky circumstances.

During a career lull in 2010, Doherty signed on as one of the competitors on the 10th season of "Dancing with the Stars." Her time on the show was brief, with Doherty the first celeb voted off that season. Recounting the experience in a post-elimination interview with Entertainment Weekly, Doherty conceded that dancing was not in her wheelhouse — and never would be. "I'm not built for this, I'm not a dancer," she admitted. "It's not what I do and it's really uncomfortable for me."

Another aspect of the show that proved unnerving for Doherty was the experience of simply being herself in front of the cameras, which she found to be a far different experience from concealing herself within an acting role. "I'm a super private person," she added. "I can play every other person in the world but me, so doing this show has been really scary."

When the cast for the 16th season of "Dancing with the Stars" was announced in 2013, one of the dancers was revealed to be NFL wide receiver Jacoby Jones, who had been an integral part of the Baltimore Ravens' Super Bowl win earlier that year. Jones proved to have some skills on the dance floor, surviving the weekly eliminations throughout the season to make it all the way to the finale. While he was considered the underdog heading into that final episode (he didn't win, with the Mirrorball Trophy ultimately going to "American Idol" contestant-turned-country singer-turned Hallmark star Kellie Pickler), he insisted that coming as far as he did on the show had required some extreme effort. "I run into people all the time and they ask, 'So how often do you practice, two or three days a week?' No, try seven days a week. Learning those dances is no joke," Jones told the Los Angeles Times.

Jones officially retired from the NFL in 2017. Fans were shocked when he was discovered dead in his New Orleans home in 2024, just 40 years old. The cause of his death was subsequently revealed to have resulted from hypertensive cardiovascular disease. 

Jacoby's "Dancing with the Stars" partner Karina Smirnoff paid tribute to the late athlete in an emotional Instagram post. "I'm so heartbroken and shocked," she wrote. "Coby was one of the funniest, coolest, kindest people I've met."

Suzanne Somers' showbiz career was truly extraordinary. One of the most popular TV stars of the 1970s thanks to her role as ditzy Chrissy Snow on mega-hit sitcom "Three's Company," Somers remained a television fixture via such series "She's the Sheriff," and then "Step By Step," while also maintaining a lucrative sideline as a Las Vegas performer.

Somers later emerged in the early 1990s as an infomercial fitness expert hawking the ThighMaster. "We sold 10 million ThighMasters right out of the gate," Somers told Entrepreneur of the product that propelled her to a net worth estimated at $100 million. She reinvented herself yet again, with Somers revealing her secrets to healthy aging in her new role as wellness guru, authoring 27 bestselling books and selling branded vitamins and supplements. 

Prior to her cancer-related death in 2023 at age 76, part of her showbiz journey involved competing in the 20th season of "Dancing with the Stars" in 2015. Although she only made it to ninth place, eliminated in the fifth week, Somers confirmed that she'd given it her all. "Every single minute on that show was the best I could possibly do, and, in doing so, I feel very good about my participation," she told People. "My experience had nothing to do with whether I won or not; it had to do with me breaking out of my comfort zone and being challenged in an arena that is totally alien to me."

Prior to dying in 2016 at 82 years old, Florence Henderson racked up dozens of screen credits during the course of an acting career spanning from 1955 until the late 2010s. However, she will always be best remembered — and fondly so — as iconic TV mom Carol Brady in legendary sitcom "The Brady Bunch."

She was also one of the celebs cast in the 11th season of "Dancing with the Stars" in 2010. Ironically, Henderson and her dancing partner, Corky Ballas, were sent packing after dancing a tango to the "Brady Bunch" theme song. Henderson held no hard feelings over her elimination. "I've loved this show since it began," she told viewers after being voted off (via The Hollywood Reporter). "I hope I've inspired people to get up off their behind and move and dance and live and enjoy life."

Her affection for the show remained strong as the years passed, particularly when her "Brady Bunch" co-stars competed in subsequent seasons. In fact, just two months before her death, Henderson appeared as her "Brady Bunch" character in a dance featuring TV daughter Maureen McCormick — and was frequently seen in the audience cheering McCormick on. "When I'm with you, it all feels just like yesterday and so beautiful," McCormick told Henderson (reported People) when they appeared together on "DWTS."

Singer Aaron Carter grew up in the spotlight, just 9 years old when he released his debut album, and 12 when his second album sold 3 million copies. After that, however, his life became increasingly troubled, plagued by struggles with substance abuse and mental illness. When he was cast on "Dancing with the Stars" Season 9, his family hoped that the discipline required would help him overcome those struggles. "He was excited and I knew that he was going to be amazing because he was an incredible dancer," his twin sister, Angel Carter Conrad, recalled in the 2025 documentary "The Carters: Hurts to Love You" (via People). "We all looked at it as this opportunity for Aaron to hopefully change his life and do something better."

Carter was eliminated in the eighth episode, and accepted his defeat with grace. "I'm very proud of myself," Carter said during a post-elimination appearance on "Good Morning America." today. "It's been a great experience. I've learned so many different things throughout the competition."

Sadly, hopes that "DWTS" would help the singer get his life back on track never materialized. In 2022, Aaron Carter's heartbreaking death came at age 34, drowning accidentally in his bathtub after ingesting a mixture of drugs. 

The heartbreaking death of Cloris Leachman closed the book on a Hollywood career that spanned seven decades. The TV legend was 91 years old when she died of a stroke in 2021. Winner of eight Primetime Emmy Awards, her career highlights included playing nosy neighbor Phyllis Lindstrom on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," a laugh-out-loud role in Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein," and her Oscar-winning performance in "The Last Picture Show." 

Leachman quickly became a fan favorite on "Dancing with the Stars." In fact, few would have guessed that Leachman — then 82 — would make it to the season's halfway point without being eliminated. This, however, came with a fair share of controversy, thanks to her tendency to eschew actual dancing for over-the-top comedy schtick — which voting viewers loved, but the judges did not. Case in point: when judge Carrie Ann Inaba dismissed Leachman's routine while lamenting, "We lost Toni Braxton for this," the studio audience gave her an earful (via Today.com). When elimination finally arrived, Leachman was defiant. "I'm not leaving," she jokingly declared, per the Associated Press (via CT Insider). "I'm afraid you are," replied then-host Tom Bergeron.

As for what lay ahead, Leachman offered a hilarious sneak peek at her potential future. "I could get pregnant," she told The New York Times. "I've got a bit of time before my next project. Maybe I'll be on 'American Idol.'"

Kirstie Alley experienced success in movies with the "Look Who's Talking" franchise, and on the small screen with "Cheers," and subsequent sitcom "Veronica's Closet." Alley first competed in "Dancing with the Stars" during the 12th season in 2011, and then returned for the all-star 15th season. Both times, she danced alongside pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy. 

The friendly relationship between Alley and Chmerkovskiy, however, took a nosedive after Leah Remini joined the Season 17 cast. A former Scientologist who since became a fierce opponent of the controversial religion invented by science fiction L. Ron Hubbard, his subsequent friendship with Remini created a rift with Alley — which Chmerkovskiy bluntly discussed with Us Weekly. When asked what happened to their friendship, he replied, "Scientology happened. You can thank [my friendship with] Leah Remini for that. A note was sent to a friend telling me I was 'disconnected,' as in, I am no longer allowed to be Kirstie's friend. I find it ridiculous for an adult human being to 'disconnect' from someone. But everyone is entitled to their own insanity."

After Alley died at age 71 in 2022 months after receiving a colon cancer diagnosis, Chmerkovskiy offered a touching tribute via Instagram. "You were one of the most unique people I have ever met and easily one of the brightest moments of my personal and professional life," he wrote, ending his message by professing his love. 

Valerie Harper was somewhat unique as a "Dancing with the Stars" contestant in that she had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer earlier that same year. When asked why she'd chosen to do the show, Harper — 74 years old at the time — offered an inspiring response when the Season 17 cast was revealed. "Don't die until you're dead!" she told ABC News. "Don't give up on your life. Till God strikes you dead, don't just lay there." Competing, she explained, also fulfilled her doctors' orders to get more exercise. "I asked, 'What do you think?' They said, 'Fine, if you feel like it and you think you can, go for it,'" she added.

The "Mary Tyler Moore Show" alum did not win a Mirrorball Trophy, but was happy she was able to demonstrate that anyone, no matter what obstacle they may face, can keep on trying. "It was an opportunity for me to carry a message," she explained after her elimination.

Harper died in 2019 at the age of 80. The show paid tribute by etching her name on a star on the floor of the studio ballroom.

When the untimely death of Anne Heche occurred in 2022, fans were shocked after the actor was declared dead after a horrific car crash. For years, controversy, scandal, and struggles with mental illness overshadowed her undeniable talent as an actor.

Heche was the third celeb to be sent home on "Dancing with the Stars" in Season 20 in 2020. Her elimination, however, was clouded with controversy due to apparent confusion when host Tyra Banks — reportedly fed incorrect information into her earpiece — announced two other couples were in the bottom two before revealing she'd goofed — and Heche was going home. According to a behind-the-scenes source, Heche was supremely ticked off by being voted off when she'd opened up like never before in a candid interview about her relationship with DeGeneres that appeared in that same episode. "Anne was not happy — she was furious. She drove off the lot and refused to do any press," that source told Page Six. Heche kind of confirmed she wasn't thrilled with the timing, telling the outlet, "The honest truth is that it took 20 years to process and share that story, so finally, telling it and being voted off on the same night was not the best feeling." 

After Heche's death, judge Carrie Ann Inaba paid tribute in a statement to People. "She loved to perform and she wasn't afraid to fail," she said, adding, "She will always be a part of the 'DWTS' family."

When singer Mary Wilson died in 2021 at the age of 76, she left behind a rich musical legacy. Understandably, a huge part of that was as one of the founding members The Supremes, the Motown trio that racked up hits such as "Stop! In the Name of Love" and "You Can't Hurry Love."

WIlson made a late-in-life comeback via "Dancing with the Stars," taking on the challenge at age 75 by competing in Season 28. As Wilson told TV Insider, she hadn't been that familiar with the show when she was approached, because she was typically on the road performing, and didn't have a whole lot of time to watch TV. When friends who were "DWTS" fans insisted she do it, she was sold. "It's very beautiful, especially the waltzes," she said of what appealed to her. 

Unfortunately, Wilson's "Dancing with the Stars" journey was a short one, and she was the first celeb ousted that season. "Someone had to go. Unfortunately, it had to [be] me!" she told Us Weekly after her elimination.

For fans of "Dancing with the Stars," the death of OG judge Len Goodman was heartbreaking. A former ballroom champion who'd also judged the British TV show that spawned "DWTS," "Strictly Come Dancing," Goodman was 78 years old when he died from bone cancer in 2023. Goodman had kept his illness a secret, announcing just four months earlier that he was quitting the show in order to spend more time with his family.

Goodman was honored with a special "DWTS" segment in which the show's professional dancers — both past and present — performed a tribute dance, set to the classic tune "Moon River." Speaking with People, Karina Smirnoff said the dance was a "love letter" to Goodman, while Maks Chmerkovskiy declared he was honored to pay tribute due to the influence that Goodman had on his career, declaring, "there's no me without Len."

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, or mental health, please reach out to the resources below:

• Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
• Contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.