“Dancing with the Stars” Season 34 was incredible, and although it was one of the most joyous seasons yet, there was also a segment on their 20th Birthday Episode that left no dry eye in the audience. It was the In Memoriam segment, honoring all those involved in the show who have passed away.
As we say goodbye to 2025 and welcome 2026, we remember all the beloved contestants who competed on DWTS and have since died.
Florence Henderson
Getty“The Brady Bunch” actress Florence Henderson and Corky Ballas competed on “Dancing with the Stars” Season 11. She finished in eighth place, but what made her inclusion in the competition so impressive was that she was 76 at the time. Henderson died from heart failure on November 24, 2016. She was 82.
Her manager, Kayla Pressman, announced her passing in a statement, revealing that her family and friends had been at her bedside at the time of her death, The Hollywood Reporter reports.
Valerie Harper
GettyValerie Harper and Tristan Macmanus competed on “Dancing with the Stars” Season 17 in 2013. Dance was a passion for Harper, and she had ballet training, having attended Manhattan’s School for Young Professionals and debuting as a teenager at the Corps de Ballet at Radio City Music Hall, People reports.
She died on August 30, 2019, from cancer. She was 80.
Cloris Leachman
GettyCloris Leachman competed on “Dancing with the Stars” Season 7. She was 82 when she appeared in the show, making her the oldest contestant. Leachman impressed fans and audiences with her moves. She ended up placing seventh alongside professional dance partner Corky Ballas.
On January 27, 2021, she died of natural causes at her home in California, BBC reports. Her daughter was by her side at the time of her passing. She was 94.
Mary Wilson
GettyThe Supremes singer Mary Wilson competed on “Dancing with the Stars” in Season 28. She competed alongside professional dancer Brandon Armstrong, but they were the first couple to be eliminated. Wilson died on February 9, 2021. She was 76. Her death was confirmed by her publicist Jay Schwartz, who revealed she had died in her home in Las Vegas, Variety reports.
“I was extremely shocked and saddened to hear of the passing of a major member of the Motown family, Mary Wilson of the Supremes,” record producer Berry Gordy said in a statement, Variety reports. “The Supremes were always known as the ‘sweethearts of Motown’ … Mary Wilson was extremely special to me. She was a trailblazer, a diva, and will be deeply missed.” These are sentiments echoed by many who loved Wilson.
Anne Heche
GettyActress Anne Heche competed on “Dancing with the Stars” Season 29 in 2020. She didn’t make it far on the show, but she did have a great time alongside professional dance partner Keo Motsepe. The pair developed a close friendship.
She died on August 12, 2022, but was in a critical condition and unconscious from August 5, when she crashed her car into a house in Los Angeles. She was 53.
Aaron Carter
GettyMusician Aaron Carter competed alongside professional dancer Karina Smirnoff in “Dancing with the Stars” Season 9. He finished in fifth place that season, impressing judges and audiences with his dance moves.
Carter died on November 5, 2022. He was 34. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner revealed his cause of death to be drowning, People reports. Carter tragically died in his bathtub.
Kristie Alley
GettyOne of the most memorable “Dancing with the Stars” partnerships happened between actress Kirstie Alley and professional dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy in Season 12. They placed second. Alley returned for the All-Star season in Season 15 and placed seventh.
On December 5, 2022, Alley died from colon cancer. She was 71. Her children shared the news of her passing in a statement to People. “We are sad to inform you that our incredible, fierce, and loving mother has passed away after a battle with cancer, only recently discovered,” they said. “She was surrounded by her closest family and fought with great strength, leaving us with a certainty of her never-ending joy of living and whatever adventures lie ahead.”
Jerry Springer
GettyTalk show host Jerry Springer was one of the first competitors on “Dancing with the Stars,” and he placed fifth in Season 3. He competed alongside professional dancer Kym Johnson. Springer died on April 27, 2023. He was 79. He died of pancreatic cancer, People reports.
His longtime friend Rabbi Sandford Kopnick paid tribute to Springer after his passing, telling People he “was a kind and generous person who was not really best pictured on his television show.” He continued, “There was much more to him than The Jerry Springer Show. He was very, very smart, he was a remarkable family man, and he was somebody who understood what it means to pay it forward.”
Suzanne Somers
GettyActress, author, and businesswoman Suzanne Somers competed on “Dancing with the Stars” in Season 20 in 2015. She placed ninth alongside professional dance partner Tony Dovolani.
Somers died on October 15, 2023. She was 76, but would have been 77 on October 16. She died from cancer. “Suzanne Somers passed away peacefully at home in the early morning hours of October 15th. She survived an aggressive form of breast cancer for over 23 years,” her publicist R. Couri Hay said in a statement to People.
Shannen Doherty
GettyShannen Doherty competed on “Dancing with the Stars” Season 10 in 2019. She was paired with professional dance partner Mark Ballas. Although she was eliminated early and fans did not get to see what she was capable of, Doherty’s time on the ABC dance competition is remembered fondly by her fans. She died on July 13, 2024, from breast cancer. She was 53.
Jacoby Jones
GettyFormer NFL wide receiver Jacoby Jones competed on “Dancing with the Stars” in Season 16. He competed alongside professional dancer Karina Smirnoff, and the pair finished in third place. He died on July 14, 2024, from Hypertensive Cardiovascular Disease, TMZ reports. The athlete was 40 years old and struggled with long-term high blood pressure.
