Patrick Swayze’s Last Dance – Dirty Dancing Star Dead at 57
Patrick Swayze, star of the iconic romance films Dirty Dancing and Ghost, died Monday at the age of 57. Swayze was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January 2008, but never gave up hope of beating the disease. Sadly, Patrick Swayze did not live to see a cure, but he never quit fighting to live a normal life and pursue his dreams while he still could.
Patrick Swayze in 'The Beast' - Photo: A&E
“I’d say five years is pretty wishful thinking,” Swayze told Barbara Walters in an interview earlier this year about his battle with pancreatic cancer. “Two years seems likely if you’re going to believe statistics. I want to last until they find a cure, which means I’d better get a fire under it.”
Although he was undergoing chemotherapy and often in terrible pain, Swayze gave some of the best performances of his life for A&E’s crime drama The Beast. The show was cancelled after only one season, but Swayze’s acting in the show was highly praised as some of the best work of his career.
“One thing I’m not going to do is chase staying alive,” Swayze told Barbara Walters while he was filming The Beast. “You spend so much time chasing staying alive, you won’t live.”
Swayze is survived by his wife of 32 years, Lisa Niemi, whom he met at his mother’s dance studio when they were teenagers, his mother and three siblings.
Patrick Swayze is one of the best actors in Hollywood and we are going to miss him.
Patrick Swayze was one of my favorite actors. i always watch his last television series which is The Beast.