Patrick Swayze lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. I send my heartfelt condolences to his wife, Lisa Niemi. Lisa and Patrick married on June 12, 1975, celebrating their 34th anniversary this year. They lived, and danced, together on a ranch in California where they bred Arabian horses.
I'm just so sad for Lisa today.
They met when Lisa was only 14 and Patrick was 18. Knowing how challenging relationships are, I deeply respect and honor their lifelong union. This is one of several tributes to their romance on YouTube:
Patrick and Lisa dancing together at the World Music Awards in 1994:
DIRTY DANCING
Now, an attempt to defend his honor. I need to set the record straight about Patrick's role in one of the cheesiest lines in movie history:
PREMIERE MAG: How often do people ask you to say, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner"?
PATRICK SWAYZE: [laughs] I hated that line – I tried everything in my power to get it out of the movie.
Here's the line:
Patrick himself sang "She's Like The Wind" (1987) from Dirty Dancing:
Here's a very high quality video of the song Hungry Eyes with several great snippets from Dirty Dancing.
THE BEAST
This critically acclaimed series only lasted a season but it was really fantastic. Patrick filmed it in Chicago while undergoing chemotherapy, which is amazing to know while you're watching Swayze pull off all kinds of stunts and fights. If you missed it, it's available here on Amazon. It was Patrick's final acting gig, and it's so, so worth the money!
Patrick Swayze, in a press release: "I've searched for quite a long time to find a character that is this multi-layered, unpredictable and downright entertaining, as well as a project this current and cutting edged, There are constant twists and turns, because we never know what this 'Charles Barker' is going to do next! Not only is the show driven by plot, but as important, it's character driven. We have an incredibly talented team of writers and staff, Chicago is an amazing, untapped city."
TO WONG FOO, Thanks for Everything! - Julie Newmar
Yes, the title is a mouthful. But the film is a cult classic and one of my personal favorites. Hysterical, cliche, and lovable. Wesley Snipes plays Noxeema Jackson, Patrick Swayze is the consummate lady Vida Boheme, and John Leguizamo plays Latina tease Chi-Chi Rodriguez.
RuPaul recalled working with Swayze on the film:
"He is truly generous and a real sweetheart," says the drag queen, who has not spoken to Patrick since the actor was diagnosed with cancer. "A lot of the time when straight men come around the drag thing, they have to assert their masculinity. They act a peculiar way. He is very secure in who he is, understands the act of show business and performing. He was really generous and lovely. He did a really good job, too."
CHiP and DALE, The Infamous SNL Chippendale Audition
Here's the actual video on YouTube (linked because embedding is disabled.)
GHOST
Many women live their entire lives wishing, just once, a man would
look at them like Patrick looks at Demi here.
Now, you gotta KNOW this love scene is great because it's spoofed constantly:
The official Ghost trailer:
THE OUTSIDERS
If you want to make a donation to honor his life, Patrick and Lisa have
supported these charities over the years:
American Oceans Campaign
Tuesday's Child(Children affected by Aids)
Thanks for the memories and may you rest in peace.