The new Dancing With The Stars season premiered on Tuesday (Sept. 26) with a memorable debut from Ariana Madix and its first pair elimination. But it was also the first season of the series since longtime head judge Len Goodman recently passed away.

Hosts Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough began the season with a touching tribute for Goodman.

“We’re obviously missing a big part of our Dancing With the Stars family tonight,” Ribeiro said, per Digital Spy.

“Len was on this panel for nearly all of our 31 seasons,” Hough continued. “And although he is irreplaceable, we wanted to keep his spirit alive.”

The co-hosts revealed the coveted Mirrorball Trophy will now be permanently named the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.

“It is so fantastic that Len will always be going forward with us,” Hough said.

The professional ballroom dancer was a mainstay on the series since its 2005 debut and only recently stepped away from his role just last year. Goodman passed away in April of this year at the age of 78 from bone cancer.

Executive producer Conrad Green recently confirmed that Goodman would not be replaced on the judges panel ahead of the new season, though Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli will all be returning.

“His legacy of what he’s brought to the show is amazing,” Green told Entertainment Weekly. “It was never in my mind to replace him.”

He also said renaming the Mirrorball Trophy ensured Goodman will always be a “permanent part of the show,” to remind people of “the importance he’s had to Dancing with the Stars and how much he meant to all of us,” per USA TODAY.

The dancers are expected to have a tribute performance for Goodman later in the season.

Dancing with the Stars airs on Tuesday nights at 8/7c on ABC and Disney+.