Patrick Swayze, whose good looks, and boyish charm won him millions of fans, died on Monday.
His enigmatic performances in films such as ‘Dirty Dancing’ and ‘Ghost’ made moviegoers’ hearts melt.
Patrick Wayne Swayze was born on August 18, 1952, in Houston, Texas. His father was an engineering draftsman; his mother was a ballet dancer and director of the Houston Ballet Dance Company.
In an interview with ABC, Swayze said his work on the show was exhausting, requiring 12-hour workdays in Chicago, Illinois, doing his own stunts. But he said the show’s character “just felt right for the soul”.
Most recently, Swayze starred in A&E Network’s “The Beast,” which debuted in January. He agreed to take the starring role of an undercover FBI agent before his diagnosis.
“If I leave this Earth, I want to leave this Earth just knowing I’ve tried to give something back and tried to do something worthwhile with myself,” Swayze told ABC, when asked why he decided to do the show. “And that keeps me going, that gets me up in the morning. My work … is my legacy.”
“The Beast” was canceled in June because of Swayze’s illness, after doctors told him the cancer had spread to his liver.
“We are saddened by the loss of one of our generation’s greatest talents and a member of the A&E family,” a statement from the network said. “Patrick’s work on ‘The Beast’ was an inspiration to us all. He will be greatly missed and our thoughts are with his wife, Lisa, and his entire family during this difficult time.”
Swayze was mostly known for his performance as dance instructor Johnny Castle in 1987’s “Dirty Dancing.” Co-star Jennifer Grey, who played his young love interest, Baby Houseman, in the film, described Swayze as “gorgeous and strong”.
“Patrick was a rare and beautiful combination of raw masculinity and amazing grace … 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,” Grey said in a statement on Monday.
Swayze became an even bigger star with a powerful performance in “Ghost,” in which he played an investment banker who dies and learns to tap into his unspoken feelings for his partner (Demi Moore). The film won Whoopi Goldberg an Oscar and helped make him People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” in 1991.
“Patrick was a really good man, a funny man and one to whom I owe much that I can’t ever repay,” Goldberg said in a statement. “I believe in ‘Ghost’s’ message, so he’ll always be near.”
He appeared in the September 2008 live television event “Stand Up to Cancer,” where he pleaded: “I keep dreaming of a future, a future with a long and healthy life, a life not lived in the shadow of cancer, but in the light. … I dream that the word `cure’ will no longer be followed by the words `is impossible.’”
Celebrities and fans inspired by Swayze’s struggle poured out their condolences. Other used Twitter to express their sadness, and ‘Dirty Dancing’ was a top trending topic on Monday night.
With his heartthrob status and sypathetic film roles, he will surely be missed by many.
Patrick Swayze 1952-2009.
