Dirty Dancing star passes away aged 57…
Actor Patrick Swayze has died in his LA home on Monday after a two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. Swayze – who shot to stardom in the 1987 hit Dirty Dancing – had continued to work since announcing his illness in March 2008, and is survived by his wife of 34 years, Lisa Niemi.
Swayze’s acting career began in the early 1980’s and he was part of the ‘Brat Pack’, appearing in movies such as The Outsiders (1983), Red Dawn (1984) and the television miniseries North and South (1985-1986) before gaining international recognition as dance instructor Johnny Castle in Dirty Dancing. He would go on to star in a number of movies including Road House (1989), Ghost (1990), Point Break (1991), To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995), and Donnie Darko (2001), and was a three-time Golden Globe nominee.
Swayze’s last acting credit was in the television series The Beast, which was cancelled earlier this year due to the star’s illness.
Originally published September 15, 2009. Updated April 10, 2018.
