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PATRICK SWAYZE HAS DIED:
Tuesday September 15th, 2009

PATRICK SWAYZE finally succumbed to cancer yesterday.  He was 57 years old.

Swayze revealed back in March of 2008 that he was battling pancreatic cancer, which is one of the deadliest forms of the disease.  Some reports gave him mere WEEKS to live at the time.

His rep released a statement saying, "Patrick Swayze passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months."

Swayze is survived by LISA NIEMI, his wife of 34 years.

Earlier this year, in an interview with BARBARA WALTERS, Swayze gave his own predictions, "I'd say five years is pretty wishful thinking.  Two years seems likely if you're going to believe the statistics.

"I want to last until they find a cure, which means I'd better get a fire under it."

It was also during that interview that Swayze admitted that his longtime smoking habit probably had something to do with the cancer.

But despite the diagnosis, he admitted that he hadn't quit.  He said, "When it looks like I may live longer than five minutes, I'll drop cigarettes like a hot potato."

Swayze first started hitting the mainstream with "The Outsiders" in 1983, and "Red Dawn" the following year.

(--"Red Dawn" is being remade as we speak, with Chris Hemsworth . . .who played Captain Kirk's dad in the newest "Star Trek" movie . . . in the Swayze role.)

The film that really made him a leading man, though, was "Dirty Dancing" in 1987.

Swayze even had a hit song on the soundtrack . . . which was, of course, the heart-wrenching ballad, "She's Like the Wind".  (!!!)

He also starred in one of the greatest guy flicks of all time AND one of the greatest chick flicks of all time.  "Road House" in 1989, and "Ghost" in 1990.

Swayze was nominated for three Golden Globes . . . for "Dirty Dancing", "Ghost" and 1995's "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything!  Julie Newmar" . . . in which he, John Leguizamo and Wesley Snipes played DRAG QUEENS.

His last true SWAYZE CLASSIC, though, was probably 1991's "Point Break" . . . in which he played the leader of a gang of adrenaline junkie thieves.  KEANU REEVES played an undercover cop who had to take him down.

(--"Point Break" was name-checked, and then hilariously parodied, in the awesome 2007 comedy "Hot Fuzz".)

Swayze was "People" magazine's Sexiest Man Alive in 1991 . . . but ironically, that's around the time he stopped being a marquee name.

His last role was as a crooked cop in the A&E series "The Beast" . . . which he signed up for BEFORE he knew he had cancer.

Swayze went ahead and filmed 13 episodes of the series while simultaneously undergoing chemotherapy . . . and he often skipped his pain meds while he was working, to keep his mind sharp.  The series ran from January through April of this year.

(--As far as great Swayze moments in video, for guys, it's hard to top his appearance on "Saturday Night Live", in the skit with CHRIS FARLEY where they compete for the same spot with the Chippendales.  See it here.)

(--But for the ladies, his last dance with JENNIFER GREY at the end of "Dirty Dancing" is probably a strong contender.  Here's that one.  Swayze's famous lift is at 3:22 . . .)

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