Actor Patrick Swayze (who I always liked to call Swah-zee) attained heartthrob status in the movies Dirty Dancing and Ghost --- he died Monday after a long battle with pancreatic cancer; he was 57.

 

The star revealed in March of 2008 that he was suffering from the deadly form of cancer, but continued working on the A&E series The Beast, and remained optimistic in interviews and on the set during his treatment.

 

Swayze shot to fame in the early '80s as part of the destined-for-fame ensemble in the 1983 drama The Outsiders, and also appeared in the action drama Red Dawn before taking on one of the lead roles in the popular miniseries North and South. He hit his zenith of fame in the late '80s and early '90s with the smash hit Dirty Dancing (1987), the cult fave Road House (1989), and the Oscar-winner Ghost (1990), opposite Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg, where his pottery-making scene with Moore became one of cinema's most iconic romantic scenes.

 

His films in the '90s included another cult favorite, Point Break, as well as the drama City of Joy, the cross-dressing comedy To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar, and the indie hit Donnie Darko. He reprised his Dirty Dancing role in the quasi-remake Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights. In addition to his role in The Beast, Swayze most recently appeared in the drama Powder Blue and British comedy Keeping Mum.

 

Swayze is survived by his wife Lisa Niemi, whom he married in 1975. He went back and forth as an icon and as someone we poked fun at, but I think he found a good place in our minds at the end of his life.

 

My favourite Swah-zee movie is probably Donnie Darko. His best performance though, I’d have to say was in the really fun movie, Road House. What would TBS do without that movie? They practically have a Road House Channel. And lastly, my favourite skit with Swah-zee was when he was the Chippendale on SNL with Chris Farley. That was classic! 

 

 

Rest in Peace, m'man.