Sky TV star dies aged 45 and news comes as 'great shock to colleagues'

Sky's Got To Dance star Leon Heywood has died aged 45 as fellow dancers pay tribute. Leon co-founded Trinity Warriors Dance Academy more than a decade ago, and in 2011, they featured on the second series of Sky 1's Got To Dance.

The show was a British dance competition that saw dance groups from across the UK compete for a huge £250,000 prize. Trinity Warriors made the semi-final of the competition, putting Derby's dance potential on the map in front of the likes of ITV The Masked Singer judge Davina McCall, Kimberly Wyatt and Diversity's Ashley Banjo.

Leon's dance choreography was labelled "world class" and "the best seen on a live round to date" by judges. A spokesperson for Trinity Warriors said: "Dear all students, past and present, It is with great regret we would like to inform you of the passing of Leon Heywood, one of the academy's founding fathers.

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"Leon was such an incredible person and he was an inspiration to every single one of us, from students to parents, to supporters and the dance community as a whole, he inspired so many of us and was everyone's biggest support. To many of you he wasn't just a dance teacher, he was a mentor, a friend, a role model, some of you thought of him as a father figure or a big brother and he loved every single one of you.

"Leon helped pave the way for so many of us and shaped us into not only the dancers we are today but also contributed into shaping us all into the people we are today. His students have gone on to do incredible things and even if your path didn't continue in dance he was proud of us all and what we have all accomplished.

"The news of his passing has been a great shock to us all, however, Leon was a man of God and faith and he is now at peace in heaven and would want us all to remember all of the amazing memories we are all so privileged to share together.

"With that being said, the Trinity Warriors and Academy prides itself not just on the incredible talent of our dancers are but most importantly the value of being a part of a crew and dance family... and that's exactly what we are, one big Trinity family, so please feel free to share any pictures, videos or just words so we can all look back and share all our special moments.

"Please also allow Leon's family and close ones time to grieve at this difficult time, all your messages and kind words are being read and are appreciated and loved at this difficult time. Leon's life will be celebrated and through us all and his legacy will live on forever... Rest in eternal peace Leon aka "Boogie" T's up forever and always."