Who was Patrick Swayze?
Patrick Swayze was born in Houston, Texas, in 1952. His father, Jesse Wayne Swayze, was an engineering draftsman, and his mother, Patsy Swayze, was a dancer, dance instructor, and choreographer. She fought against discrimination and also ran a ballet school.
An injury sustained while playing football in high school set Swayze on the course that would eventually make him a household figure. His first major role was as Darrel Curtis in the film version of The Outsiders, released in 1984. It was, however, his role as Johnny in the smash hit picture Dirty Dancing, opposite Jennifer Grey’s portrayal of Baby, that really set him apart.
Swayze avoided being pigeonholed by taking on a wide range of challenging roles throughout his film career. “In Hollywood, it’s difficult to avoid stereotyping. And some actors like a niche,” Swayze said.
“But that would destroy me. I want to find out how far I can go. If you just live for fame and stardom, it will kill you,” he said. He lived up to his reputation, making appearances in films like Ghost, Road House, Point Break, and the underground masterpiece Donnie Darko.
How Did Patrick Swayze Die?
In 2009, Swayze passed away at his Los Angeles residence with loved ones by his side. Twenty months before he passed away in January 2008, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Swayze declared himself the “miracle dude” six months after his diagnosis when he had already outlived his prognosis. Despite receiving what is usually a death sentence, he remained working.
“How do you nurture a positive attitude when all the statistics say you’re a dead man?” he told. Yet he continued, “There is probably that little bird that flies through your insides and says, ‘I sure would like to make a mark in life,'” when asked about his outlook.
“I’ve made a pretty decent mark so far, nothing to scoff at. But it does make you think: Wait a minute. There’s more I want to do. Lots more. Get on with it.”
Lisa Niemi, his wife, wrote a book in 2011 titled Worth Fighting. For she revealed the last words her husband ever spoke. “My last words to Patrick? ‘I love you,’” she wrote, adding, “and those were his last words to me.” Later that year, on September 14, 2009, Swayze quietly passed away after falling into a coma.
Yesterday was the 13th anniversary of Patrick Swayze’s death. Loved him in Ghost and Dirty Dancing but he had such a great catalogue of work, he was also a great dancer and singer. RIP Patrick ❤❤ pic.twitter.com/hdmD1wlp0x
— ClassicActorsOfHollywood (@CAOH110291) September 15, 2022
Was Patrick Swayze Married And Did He Have Kids?
From 1975 until Patrick’s death in 2014, he was married to writer and director Lisa Niemi.
Swayze was 18 and Niemi was 14 when they first met, but it didn’t stop them from falling in love. In a 2011 interview, Niemi said, “The first time Buddy (her nickname for Swayze) and I danced together was at a school exhibition. We walked out on stage. I looked into his eyes, it was like everything came alive.”
She’s Like the Wind, written by Swayze and Stacy Widelitz, was partially inspired by Niemi, who was widely expected to co-star with Swayze in Dirty Dancing.
The song had its first appearance in the film, and it went on to become a Billboard Hot 100 hit. In his autobiography Patrick Swayze: One Last Dance, Swayze credits Niemi for motivating him, stating, “I just felt at the time that I’m very, very happy to have a woman who thinks I hung the moon.”
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