Patrick Swayze, who seamlessly blended sensitivity and brawn in roles as diverse as a dance instructor in Dirty Dancing and a surfing bank robber in Point Break, has died after playing a role that demanded more of his courage and determination than any other: cancer patient.
The 57-year-old star of Ghost and The Outsiders, who was nominated three times for an acting Golden Globe, endured a nearly two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. Swayze's publicist said he died Monday with family at his side, according to the Associated Press.
Look back at Swayze's life in pictures
He fought until the end, even performing grueling stunts while filming his A&E drama series, The Beast. Co-star Travis Fimmel said in January that the strain of fighting the disease rarely showed during filming.
"You can hardly tell with the guy," he told TVGuide.com. "He's such a man. The sickest thing about him on set is probably his jokes."
Watch full episodes of The Beast
Swayze's mother, the head of the Houston Jazz Ballet Company, taught him dance at a young age. His love of ballet exposed ....
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Patrick Swayze is dancing again, but there isn't anything dirty about it. The drama One Last Dance, written, directed by and costarring his wife, Lisa Niemi, represents a passion project nearly two decades in the making. Now that the film (about a trio of dancers who must reunite to save something dear to them) is available on DVD, the marrieds are having, well, the time of their life.
TVGuide.com: You recently had a birthday, Patrick. Do you feel, what is it, 53? What are we saying these days?Patrick Swayze: Well, I've never lied. I'm feeling like I should start to, though, what do you think? Lisa Niemi: He's always been totally honest about his age.Swayze: I'm 53 and it's amazing.
TVGuide.com: As amazing as the fact that you two have been married for 30 years. What is your secret?Swayze: Keep dancing and keep looking in each other's eyes.
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