“Dancing with the Stars'” Former Pros Return to Ballroom for Emotional Tribute to Late Judge Len Goodman

Maks Chmerkovskiy, Kym Johnson-Herjavec, Tony Dovolani, Karina Smirnoff, Anna Trebunskaya, Edyta Śliwińska, Louis van Amstel and Mark Ballas returned to 'DWTS' on Tuesday to honor Goodman after he died in April 2023

Dancing with the Stars' most beloved pro dancers returned to the ballroom on Tuesday night for a touching tribute to late head judge Len Goodman.

Alums Maks Chmerkovskiy, Kym Johnson-Herjavec, Tony Dovolani, Karina Smirnoff, Anna Trebunskaya, Edyta Śliwińska, Louis van Amstel and Mark Ballas were joined by the current pros for a dance tribute to Goodman, who died at age 78 in April 2023 four months after announcing his retirement from the ABC dance competition.

The emotional mid-show segment began with a pre-recorded package with all the pros, including judge Derek Hough and co-host Julianne Hough, where they spoke about their most beloved memories of Goodman. From how "charming" he was, to his constructive — and loving — criticism, the pro dancers had nothing but good things to say about the late judge and his influence on the series.

"Getting criticized by Len was never easy but getting that 10 made it all worth it," Maks said.

The pros also spoke about Goodman's life off-camera, which fans didn't get a chance to see, including the moments they spent together and how he adored his family and wife.

"One of the things I'm most thankful for is being able to judge alongside Len," Derek said through his tears. "I was able to spend a little more extra time with him and for that, I'm really thankful."

Tipping their hat to Goodman one last time, the pros then performed a number — choreographed by Jenna Johnson and Val Chmerkovskiy — to Henry Mancini's classic, "Moon River," a song and dance style they said Goodman loved.

The performance finished with a spotlight on Len's former chair at the judges' desk as the crowd rose to their feet and applauded, and the rest of the pros and judges broke down in tears.

Related: ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Honors Late Judge Len Goodman By Renaming Mirrorball Trophy

Ahead of the performance, Val's older brother Maks, as well as Johnson-Herjavec, Dovolani and Smirnoff exclusively opened up to PEOPLE about creating "a really touching moment" for DWTS fans and their decision to return to the ballroom.

Smirnoff, 45, promised the tribute would be a “love letter” to the late head judge.

“To come back and read that love letter or dance that love letter to him, saying thank you for his input into our world, I think it's a no-brainer,” she said of her decision to return for the performance. “We are all excited and grateful to have that opportunity and for the show to be able to give that to us.”

Maks, 43, shared that it’s an honor to return to the ballroom because “there's no me without Len,” adding, “And that's the reality. So whenever there's an opportunity to pay respect, I think I would love to be a part of that.”

Related: DWTS OGs Ready a 'Love Letter' to Len Goodman as They Remember the 'Glint' in Late Head Judge's Eye (Exclusive)

Johnson-Herjavec, 47, and Dovolani, 50, shared that the tribute would be fitting for Goodman, as Dovolani explained, “It's a classic dance that really requires a lot of, as Len would say, just the right amount of zazz so he liked classical dances, and that's exactly what we're going to do for him.”

Johnson-Herjavec added: “He didn't like the gimmicks. He liked straight-up dancing, and I'm pretty sure it's going to be very beautiful, very classic — like Len, really.”

However, one alum of the show was noticeably missing from the tribute. Last week, former pro Cheryl Burke claimed she was not asked to return to the ballroom for the special performance. (Reps at DWTS did not respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.)

“For those of you asking if I’ll be a part of Len Goodman’s tribute next week on DWTS, unfortunately, I wasn’t invited however, I’ll be there in spirit and can’t wait to cheer my former colleagues on!” she wrote on Threads. “Sending love and light to everyone. 🤍🙏🏼 #riplen”

On Tuesday, Burke, 39, paid tribute to Goodman on Instagram instead, sharing in part, “Mr. Len Goodman. Thank you for being the face of ballroom dancing and always standing by what was right, no matter what. You are such a huge part of the reason why Dancing with the Stars is a massive hit as the premise is about teaching celebrities how to ballroom dance, and the word 'ballroom' before the word 'dance' was all because of your many decades worth of knowledge and experience.”

She went on to praise his “tough love and no B.S. approach,” and shared that Goodman’s “respect for the art and sport of ballroom dance showed me and millions of people how much you truly cared.”

Related: Alfonso Ribeiro Promises 'DWTS' Season 32 Will Honor Len Goodman's Legacy: 'There Won't Be a Dry Eye'

During DWTS’s season premiere last month, co-hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough announced the show would have a "spectacular tribute to Len from our dancers that you won't wanna miss.”

They also revealed the Mirrorball Trophy would now be named the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy in his honor.

"Len will always be going forward with us," Hough said, as Ribeiro added, "As a tribute to him, we redesigned and renamed our ultimate prize."

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Dancing with the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+.

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