On the one-year anniversary of Len Goodman’s death, Carrie Ann Inaba is paying tribute to the late head judge of Dancing with the Stars in an exclusive essay for PEOPLE. Goodman — alongside Inaba and Bruno Tonioli — joined the ABC’s dance competition as judges in 2005. Aside from hiatuses during season 21 and 29, Goodman remained on the series until his retirement in 2022.

Five months later, Goodman died on April 22, 2023, surrounded by his family at a hospice in Kent, England. According to BBC News, the ballroom legend had bone cancer.

“It is with great sadness to announce that Len Goodman has passed away peacefully, aged 78,” his manager Jackie Gill said in a statement released to the outlet at the time. “A much loved husband, father and grandfather who will be sorely missed by family, friends and all who knew him.”

In September, DWTS hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough announced they planned to keep Goodman’s “spirit alive” in the ballroom with a new Mirrorball Trophy — now named the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy in his honor.

The following month, Dancing with the Stars alums — including Maks Chmerkovskiy, Kym Johnson-Herjavec, Tony Dovolani, Karina Smirnoff, Anna Trebunskaya, Edyta Śliwińska, Louis van Amstel and Mark Ballas — and current pros performed a touching dance in honor of Goodman.

Below, read Inaba’s tribute to Goodman on the first anniversary of his death.

Working with Len was always a pleasure. He was an elegant man with a mischievous smile who loved life to the fullest, and he lived his life to the fullest. Len was always doing something. He was making plans, attending social events, going out to dinner, playing golf with friends or getting a great manicure, and everything he did he loved. He just loved it. He also loved to discover new music and always had the coolest playlists. He’d play songs you’ve never heard before that were wonderful. And I will always remember Len with a little skip in his step and a twinkle in his eye.

What I miss most about him is that right before every show, we would all hold hands, Len, Bruno, and I. The three of us would always take a moment before every show to connect. We’d hold hands, we’d look into each other’s eyes, and we would wish each other good luck and say I love you. We NEVER missed doing that, not once, in all the years of shows we did together, and this created such a deep connection between the three of us.

Len and I would disagree — which was often! — since we came from such different backgrounds and that’s what makes the [judging] panel unique. But when we disagreed, what people don’t know is that during commercial break, there’d always be a pat on the back, a laugh, or a smile we’d always give each other. We just had a very strong camaraderie and we knew that we were always in it together, whether or not we were on the same page at that moment.

Len was a traditionalist and I always tend to love innovation and honest expression of self, and so we agreed to disagree, while always keeping our friendship intact. I wish there was more of that in the world, and that is one of the most beautiful qualities of Len’s that I miss the most about him.

Len is always going to be the heart of Dancing with the Stars. His legacy will continue on. The Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy is befitting because it reminds us of the man who sat at the center of that desk and taught us all about the beauty of the traditional ballroom dances. The new trophy celebrates that and comes complete with his little bowtie, which is so perfect.

I hear his voice every time I see perfection. I hear him saying, “It’s a 10 from Len.”  The tribute performance that Jenna and Val choreographed last season will always be one of the greatest moments in Dancing with the Stars history. By keeping it simple and straight to the point and so traditional, Len would’ve definitely given that a standing ovation. I could picture him giving a gentle nod of his head in appreciation. Seeing everyone come back to the show — Edyta, Louis, Maks, Tony, Karina, Kym — having everybody back there to celebrate Len was a powerful moment and really expressed the beauty that DWTS has given us and the big family that we have become.

We really are a family, and Len will always be the beloved patriarch. I miss him so much. I think we all do.