Patrick Swayze Died Much Later Than Anyone Expected

Patrick Swayze died last night -- to no one's shock and everyone's sadness. For years, everyone waited to hear that Patrick Swayze died, and the news came last night. After many false reports that Patrick Swayze died over the years, pancreatic cancer finally claimed Swayze at 57, as he died after a two-year battle. But Patrick Swayze died only after inspiring more people with his cancer fight than he did with his career as an '80s and '90s heartthrob.

The news came that Patrick Swayze died early last night, and probably took a while to register. So many false celebrity death reports have come in lately, and with Swayze's condition, it would be so easy to fake news that he died. In fact, there were several false Tweets on Twitter this past May that reported Swayze's premature death.

Patrick Swayze died after battling pancreatic cancer for about two years, surviving a lot longer than anyone expected. But pancreatic cancer is so strong an opponent, and ultimately an unbeatable one, that it was only a matter of time before it claimed Swayze. That time came last night, and the reports of his death weren't false this time.

In his fight against death, Swayze made even more of an impact on many people than he did with his movies, much like Farrah Fawcett and Christopher Reeve before him. Swayze even had time to do the A&E show The Beast for a year during his fight.

But Patrick Swayze died after leaving a longer legacy in films, as he was one of the biggest box office draws in the country for a time. He is best remembered for two hits, specifically, with Dirty Dancing and the Oscar-winning Ghost. Action fans will also remember him for the cult hits Red Dawn, Road House and Point Break.

Swayze ultimately stopped making so many films, and faded out of the spotlight until the news of his pancreatic cancer came through. His third act in battling the disease made headlines, mainly for how long he lasted, although he didn't make his fight quite as public as Farrah Fawcett did. But both won recognition beyond their iconic film personas for how they fought to the end.

Swayze reportedly died in Los Angeles with his family at his side, according to his publicist. His wife Lisa and mother Pasty survive him.

Sources

LA Times- "Swayze dies: Patrick Swayze dead at 57 after cancer battle" www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-patrick-swayze15-2009sep15,0,4483064.story

EW.com- "Patrick Swayze dies at 57" news-briefs.ew.com/2009/09/14/patrick-swayze-dies-at-57/

Vancouver Sun- "Archive: Patrick Swayze's death a grave mistweet on Twitter" www.vancouversun.com/business/Patrick+Swayze+death+grave+mistweet+Twitter/1628756/story.html