Patrick Swayze’s life in pictures

Patrick Swayze has lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. The actor announced he was suffering from the disease in March 2008. Persistent reports, which Swayze described as “shoddy and reckless”, had the actor close to death on many occasions. But he finally passed away at home and surrounded by family on September 14, 2009.

Swayze’s last major TV interview was with veteran journalist Barbara Walters, at his Californian ranch in January this year. Of his cancer battle he told Walters, “You can bet I’m going through hell. And I’ve only seen the beginning of it.”

His wife of 34 years was actress and dancer Lisa Niemi. The couple first met in 1970 when she was just 14 years old and taking dance lessons from his mother (he was 18). Niemi was the inspiration behind Swayze’s hit song “She’s Like The Wind”, which featured on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack.

Swayze’s mother Patsy was a dancer and the naturally athletic Patrick soon excelled at it, too (he’s pictured here in costume aged 15 in 1967). He trained as a ballet dancer but found his feet in film after scoring his first role in 1979, a minor part in the roller disco film Skatetown U.S.A.

Famous for launching the careers of Hollywood heavyweights Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon and Ralph Macchio, 1983’s The Outsiders also proved to be Swayze’s big break. His character Darrel Curtis was 20 years old — in real-life Swayze had seen his 30th birthday.

“Nobody puts Baby in the corner”. Swayze said it and we continue love it. The Romeo & Juliet-style love story between bad-boy dancer Johnny Castle and rich kid Baby Houseman (Jennifer Grey) was a surprise hit for the studio. But in 2009 it’s safe to say Dirty Dancing is a cult classic. The film even scored an Oscar for its popular soundtrack.

It was the movie that put ditto’ into popular usage. In the 1990 film Ghost Swayze played Sam, the late husband of Demi Moore’s Molly, who communicates with her through a medium (Whoopi Goldberg). Pictured here is THE famous pottery scene.

Swayze cemented his sex-symbol status with his turn as Bodhi, the surfer-cum-bank robber in Point Break. The film ends when Swayze’s character paddles out into an un-surfable storm at Bells Beach, declaring “It’s time to dance with the universe.”