Dancing With The Stars Producer Richard Hopkins Leaves Us With Lasting Legacy

Sad news today about a man that helped to create and bring Dancing With The Stars to the United States. At only 47, Richard Hopkins, producer to the show, has died after an 8 month battle with cancer. Our deepest condolences go out to Mr. Hopkins friends and family. If it weren’t in big part to him, ballroom dancing wouldn’t have taken the popularity it has and we wouldn’t have gotten to enjoy so many hours watching it. R.I.P.

He then brought the format to America, where the show was rechristened “Dancing With the Stars.”

Hopkins ran the BBC’s format entertainment division between 2003 and 2006, then launched Fever Media, a joint venture TV company with Sony Music.

Fever Media joint managing director David Mortimer said he felt privileged to be both business partner and friend to Hopkins.

“Television is by its nature an ephemeral business, so very few of us can hope to have any lasting legacy,” Mortimer said in a statement. “Richard was a glorious exception to this rule, and as one of the greatest producers of his generation he quite literally got the world dancing.”

You can read the full story at Boston.com.