Homes and Property | Home Page

Dirty Dancing star Patrick Swayze dies after cancer battle

Patrick Swayze has died after a long battle with pancreatic cancer
Ross Lydall @RossLydall|David Gardner
12 April 2012

Patrick Swayze's two leading ladies today led tributes to the Dirty Dancing and Ghost star, who has died after a 20-month battle with cancer.

Jennifer Gray said he was a "real cowboy with a tender heart" while Demi Moore used her Twitter page to say: "Patrick you are loved by so many and your light will forever shine in all of our lives."

Referring to the roles they played in Ghost, Moore added: "And in the words of Sam to Molly: It's amazing Molly. The love inside, you take it with you.' I love and will miss you Patrick."

Swayze, who died yesterday aged 57, will be forever remembered to generations of women as dance instructor Johny Castle in the 1987 film Dirty Dancing. Originally conceived as a low-budget movie expected to transfer quickly to video, Swayze ignored his manager's advice and accepted the part.

He said the movie, which featured the line "Nobody puts baby in a corner", became a "phenomenon" that took his life "into insanity". Many women joined the "100-plus" club marking the number of times they had seen the film. Swayze said: "That is the movie that sent my life and world into hyperspace."

His co-star Jennifer Grey said in a statement: "Patrick was a rare and beautiful combination of raw masculinity and amazing grace. Gorgeous and strong, he was a real cowboy with a tender heart.

"He was fearless and insisted on always doing his own stunts, so it was not surprising to me that the war he waged on his cancer was so courageous and dignified."

Other celebrities paid tributes on Twitter. Cheers star Kirtie Alley said: "I will always cherish my amazing memories of Patrick... we had so much fun together... come back soon Patrick, we need you here on earth." Ricky Martin said: "Patrick Swayze R.I.P." Boy George said: "R.I.P Patrick Swayze. Sad, sad news."

Swayze was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer early last year but continued to work, writing his memoirs and starring in a TV series called The Beast.

He received chemotherapy but opted not to use painkiller drugs because he feared they would take the edge of his gritty performance as an undercover FBI agent.

His wife of 34 years, Lisa Niemi, said she and his brother, Donny, were at his bedside when he died yesterday at his ranch in Los Angeles. He had fought a public battle against the disease but his condition had deteriorated dramatically in recent weeks.

Swayze, a smoker for decades, continued his habit even as he was being treated. He missed just one day of work while filming the show. How do you nurture a positive attitude when all the statistics say you're a dead man? You go to work,' he said.

He told American interviewer Barbara Walters: "One thing I am not going to do is chase staying alive. You spend so much time chasing staying alive, you won't live."

Born in Houston, Texas, Swayze was a classically-trained dancer who turned to acting after being injured. He appeared on Broadway as Danny Zuko in Grease. His first film break was starring alongside Rob Lowe in The Outsiders.

He earned a Golden Globe nomination for Dirty Dancing, and the song he sang from the soundtrack, She's Like the Wind, went to No3 in the US Billboard charts.

A second massive success followed in 1990 with Ghost, in which he played a murdered man coming back from the dead to protect his fiancée, with whom he communicated via a psychic played by Whoopi Goldberg. Goldberg, who won an Oscar for best supporting actress, said today: "I believe in Ghost's message, so he'll always be near."

Swayze also won Golden Globes for Ghost and 1995's To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar,

But other films such as Road House and Point Break were less successful. The death of his father and his sister's suicide saw him fight a long battle with alcoholism. He later had a minor part in the cult classic Donnie Darko and appeared on the London stage in 2006 in Guys and Dolls.