She also mentioned that Swayze never wanted his job to be any easier just because he was diagnosed with cancer. Even when his character was supposed to jump over the wall, he insisted on doing it instead of the acrobat who was fixed. Niemi insists that working on set made Swayze strong and happy despite his diagnosis.
Just under two years after the initial diagnosis, Swayze succumbed to pancreatic cancer on September 14, 2009. I Am Patrick Swayze was released on August 18, 2019, which was also the late actor’s birthday. Even ten years later, fans of the handsome star are still eager to learn more about him.
Born in Houston, Texas on August 18, 1952, Patrick was destined to be the future star and dancer, as his mother Patsy owned a dance studio in the city. Patrick literally grew up in the world of dance and learned many dance styles there, before moving to New York to complete his ballet studies at the Joffrey Ballet School.
Soon Swayze landed a role as Danny Zuko on Broadway and combined his training as a dancer with his acting debut – a formula that would bring him huge success. Small television roles followed, before playing his first memorable role as Big Brother in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Outsiders.
It wasn’t until 1987 that Dirty Dancing propelled him to massive fame. Released in August of that year, the film was a surprising success, as it featured no major stars and had no known director. It was also not planned to be a big release, it was supposed to be a week-long theatrical release and go straight to video.
Well, didn’t he miss expectations away from the water? Dirty Dancing was so successful that it became the first film to sell over a million copies on VHS. Meanwhile, the film’s soundtrack, which was a big part of its appeal, was also incredibly successful, with the film’s theme song (I Got It) The Time of My Life winning Golden Globes and Oscars. for Best Original Song, as well as a Grammy Award for Best Original Song.
Ultimately, Swayze earned a Best Actor Golden Globe Award nomination and offered his formal dance training. In addition to acting and dancing in the film, Swayze co-wrote and performed a song from the film’s album, She’s Like the Wind, which became a Top 10 hit and showcased his vocal talents.
With this success, Swayze became a Hollywood regular, starring in such films as Road House, Ghost and Point Break. He received three Golden Globe nominations during his career, in addition to numerous other awards, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1997.
He continued acting after the peak of his career and even returned to the stage, making his London West End debut in the musical Guys and Dolls in 2006. During this period he also took on roles more interesting as a motivational speaker in Donnie Darko, as well as producing and starring in a dance film called One Last Dance, with his wife Lisa Niemi. Swayze’s last acting role was as an FBI agent on the television series The Beast.
Patrick Swayze’s legacy lives on, not only in his films which are loved by many, but also by the many people who were lucky enough to be close to him. This includes his wife Lisa Niemi, as well as his co-stars. After his death in September 2009, the outpouring of love from his famous friends confirmed what a wonderful person he was. Jennifer Gray, Swayze’s star in Dirty Dancing, as Entertainment Weekly reports:
“Patrick was a rare and magnificent combination of raw masculinity and incredible grace. Magnificent and powerful, he was a true cowboy with a soft heart.”
Meanwhile, Whoopi Goldberg said of her Ghost co-star, “Patrick was a really good guy, funny guy and I owe him so much I can never repay. I believe in Ghost’s message so stay tuned. always close.”
Lisa Niemi also celebrates Patrick Swayze regularly and posts frequently on Instagram to keep his memory alive. Although she remarried in 2014 to silversmith Albert DePrisco, her love for Swayze will never end. She told People magazine in 2014 how her love for the two never came into conflict until DePrisco asked her to marry him. She turned around and wondered whether to go ahead with the wedding, but ultimately took a “leap of faith” and decided to do it, telling the magazine:
“Albert knew I still loved Patrick and always will, and he said to me, ‘I know you love me and I love you.’ How could I not marry this man? Since I had time to assimilate the change that was about to occur in my life, my doubts became fewer and fewer and I became more and more confident.”
However, Niemi’s love and devotion to Swayze is still there. She often posts about him on her social media and on September 14, 2020, 11 years after his death, she shared an influential Instagram post in which she said:
“Celebrating a strong, sensitive and wonderfully special man on the eleventh anniversary of his death. I missed him. I can’t help but feel a dark cloud today (and all last week!) , but grateful for what we brought together. ? What a journey so blessed with tears.”
Niemi has dedicated her time to helping spread awareness about the fight against pancreatic cancer. She recently appeared on The Doctors Show to discuss the cause, as well as on her social media during Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month in November.
Patrick Swayze was one of a kind, and his decades-old marriage to Lisa Niemi was a record book. Her devotion to him throughout his life and even after his death testifies to their love. Even 11 years later, the work you are doing to keep his memory alive and raise awareness of the disease that took his life is truly inspiring.
