Actor Patrick Swayze today lost his two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 57.
Swayze, who trained with the Joffrey Ballet School in his twenties, had his major breakthrough aged 35 as Johnny Castle, the dancing instructor from the wrong side of the tracks in the coming-of-age classic Dirty Dancing.
His celebrity rose further with roles in the Oscar-winning movie Ghost and cult favourite Point Break. In 1991 Swayze was named People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive.
In recent years he starred in the TV series The Beast, continuing to film his role even after his cancer diagnosis.
His last major interview was with veteran reporter Barbara Walters, where Swayze indicated he had come to terms with his prognosis. “I’d say five years is pretty wishful thinking. Two years seems likely if you’re going to believe statistics,” he told Walters.
Reports say Swayze returned home in recent days and passed away yesterday peacefully with his family by his side.
Patrick Swayze is survived by his wife of 34 years, Lisa Niemi, the couple didn’t have any children.
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