Forum Views ()
Forum Replies ()
Read more with google mobile :
'Dirty Dancing' star Patrick Swayze dies at 57
Yahoo!
My Yahoo!
Mail
Yahoo! Search
Search:
Sign InNew User? Sign Up
News Home -
Help
Navigation
Primary Navigation
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular
Secondary Navigation
Asia Pacific
World
Search
Search:
'Dirty Dancing' star Patrick Swayze dies at 57
By CHRISTY LEMIRE,AP Movie Writer AP - Tuesday, September 15
LOS ANGELES - Patrick Swayze personified a particular kind of masculine grace both on and off screen, from his roles in films like "Dirty Dancing" and "Ghost" to the way he carried himself in his long fight with pancreatic cancer.
ADVERTISEMENT
Swayze died from the illness on Monday in Los Angeles, his publicist said. He was 57.
"Patrick Swayze passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months," Annett Wolf said in a statement Monday evening. She declined to give details.
Fans of the actor were saddened to learn in March 2008 that Swayze was suffering from an especially deadly form of cancer. He continued working despite the diagnosis, putting together a memoir with his wife and shooting "The Beast," an A&E drama series for which he had already made the pilot.
Swayze said he chose not to use painkillers while making "The Beast" because they would have taken the edge off his performance. The show drew a respectable 1.3 million viewers when the 13 episodes ran this year, but A&E said it reluctantly decided not to renew it for a second season.
When he first went public with the illness, some reports gave him only weeks to live, but his doctor said his situation was "considerably more optimistic" than that. Swayze acknowledged that time might be running out given the grim nature of the disease.
"I'd say five years is pretty wishful thinking," Swayze told ABC's Barbara Walters in early 2009. "Two years seems likely if you're going to believe statistics. I want to last until they find a cure, which means I'd better get a fire under it."
And that's exactly what he did. In February, Swayze wrote an op-ed piece in the Washington Post titled, "I'm Battling Cancer. How About Some Help, Congress?" in which he urged senators and representatives to vote for the maximum funding for the National Institutes of Health to fight cancer as part of the economic stimulus package.
He also appeared in the September 2008 live television event "Stand Up to Cancer," where he pleaded: "I keep dreaming of a future, a future with a long and healthy life, a life not lived in the shadow of cancer, but in the light. ... I dream that the word `cure' will no longer be followed by the words `is impossible.'"
Celebrities and fans inspired by Swayze's struggle poured out their condolences, including C. Thomas Howell, who costarred with Swayze in "The Outsiders," "Grandview U.S.A." and "Red Dawn."
"I have always had a special place in my heart for Patrick," he said. "While I was fortunate enough to work with him in three films, it was our passion for horses that forged a friendship between us that I treasure to this day."
Others used Twitter to express their sadness, and "Dirty Dancing" was a top trending topic Monday night, trailed by other Swayze films.
Demi Moore, who played Swayze's fiancee in "Ghost," wrote: "Patrick you are loved by so many and your light will forever shine in all of our lives." Moore's husband, Ashton Kutcher, tweeted: "RIP P Swayze" and linked to a YouTube clip of the actor poking fun at himself in a classic "Saturday Night Live" sketch, in which he played a wannabe Chippendales dancer alongside the corpulent _ and frighteningly shirtless _ Chris Farley.
Larry King wrote: "Patrick Swayze was a wonderful actor & a terrific guy. He put his heart in everything. He was an extraordinary fighter in his battle w Cancer." King added that he'd do a tribute to Swayze on his CNN program Tuesday night.
A three-time Golden Globe nominee, Swayze became a star with his performance as the misunderstood bad boy Johnny Castle in "Dirty Dancing." As the son of a choreographer who began his career in musical theater, he seemed a natural to play the role.
A coming-of-age romance starring Jennifer Grey as an idealistic young woman on vacation with her family and Swayze as the Catskills resort's sexy (and much older) dance instructor, the film made use of both his grace on his feet and his muscular physique.
It became an international phenomenon in the summer of 1987, spawning albums, an Oscar-winning hit song in "(I've Had) the Time of My Life," stage productions and a sequel, 2004's "Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights," in which he made a cameo.
Swayze performed and co-wrote a song on the soundtrack, the ballad "She's Like the Wind," inspired by his wife, Lisa Niemi. The film also gave him the chance to utter the now-classic line, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner."
Swayze followed up with the 1989 action flick "Road House," in which he played a bouncer at a rowdy bar. But it was his performance in 1990's "Ghost" that showed his vulnerable, sensitive side. He starred as a murdered man trying to communicate with his fiancee, with great frustration and longing, through a psychic played by Whoopi Goldberg.
"Ghost" provided yet another indelible musical moment: Swayze and Moore sensually molding pottery together to the strains of the Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody." It also earned a best-picture nomination and a supporting-actress Oscar for Goldberg, who said she wouldn't have won if it weren't for Swayze.
"When I won my Academy Award, the only person I really thanked was Patrick," Goldberg said in March 2008 on the ABC daytime talk show "The View."
Swayze himself earned three Golden Globe nominations, for "Dirty Dancing," "Ghost" and 1995's "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar," which allowed him to toy with his masculine image. The role called for him to play a drag queen on a cross-country road trip alongside Wesley Snipes and John Leguizamo.
His heartthrob status almost kept him from being considered for the role of Vida Boheme.
"I couldn't get seen on it because everyone viewed me as terminally heterosexually masculine-macho," he told The Associated Press then. But he transformed himself so completely that when his screen test was sent to Steven Spielberg, whose Amblin pictures produced "To Wong Foo," the director didn't recognize him.
Among his earlier films, Swayze was part of the star-studded lineup in Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 adaptation of S.E. Hinton's novel "The Outsiders," alongside Rob Lowe, Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Emilio Estevez and Diane Lane. Other '80s films included "Red Dawn," "Grandview U.S.A." and "Youngblood," once more with Lowe, as Canadian hockey teammates.
In the '90s, he made such eclectic films as "Point Break" (1991) in which he played the leader of a band of bank-robbing surfers, and the family Western "Tall Tale" (1995) in which he starred as Pecos Bill. He appeared on the cover of People magazine as its "Sexiest Man Alive" in 1991, but his career tapered off toward the end of the 1990s, when he went to rehab for alcohol abuse. In 2001, he appeared in the cult favorite "Donnie Darko," and in 2003 he returned to the New York stage with "Chicago"; 2006 found him in the musical "Guys and Dolls" in London.
Swayze was born in 1952 in Houston, the son of Jesse Swayze and choreographer Patsy Swayze, whose films include "Urban Cowboy."
He played football but also was drawn to dance and theater, performing with the Feld, Joffrey and Harkness Ballets and appearing on Broadway as Danny Zuko in "Grease." He turned to acting in 1978 after a series of injuries.
Within a couple years of moving to Los Angeles, he made his debut in the roller-disco movie "Skatetown, U.S.A." The eclectic cast included Scott Baio, Flip Wilson, Maureen McCormack and Billy Barty.
Off-screen, he was an avid conservationist who was moved by his time in Africa to shine a light on "man's greed and absolute unwillingness to operate according to Mother Nature's laws," he told the AP in 2004.
Swayze was married since 1975 to Niemi, a fellow dancer who took lessons with his mother; they met when he was 19 and she was 15. A licensed pilot, Niemi would fly her husband from Los Angeles to Northern California for treatment at Stanford University Medical Center.
Email Story
IM Story
Printable View
Blog This
Sign in to recommend this article »
0 users recommend
Related Articles: Entertainment & Lifestyle
Critics slam `Leno Show,' call it `Tonight' rehashAP - 1 hour 55 minutes ago
Emmy Countdown: Bacon, Sedgwick among presentersAP - 2 hours 58 minutes ago
More Emmy presenters: Bacon, Sedgwick, GervaisAP - Wednesday, September 16
Freemasons hail Dan Brown's latest novel as "good fun"Reuters - Wednesday, September 16
Prince Harry turns 25AP - Wednesday, September 16
Most Popular – Entertainment
Viewed
Mafia sank boat with radioactive waste: official
Depression harms cancer survival rates: study
Remains of Jesus-era synagogue found in Israel
Obama lashes out at Wall Street
Nestle warns of possible exit from Switzerland
View Complete List »
Search:
Home
Singapore
Asia Pacific
World
Business
Entertainment
Sports
Technology
Top Stories
Most Popular
Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy
- Terms of Service
- Community
- Intellectual Property Rights Policy
- Help
Other News on Tuesday, 15 September 2009 Bagram inmates can challenge detention: Pentagon
Europe to emerge from recession in 3rd qtr, says EU
US-TECH Summary
Intel restructures, senior exec leaves for EMC
Netanyahu: no complete West Bank building freeze
sells stake in Alibaba.com for 150 mln dlrs
Venezuela inks $2.2 bln weapons deal with Russia
Intuit buying Mint.com for 170 mln dlrs
Kissing quest makes Taiwan woman a web sensation
Norway left wins rare re-election: exit polls
| International
|
Iraqi court orders the release of Bush shoe thrower
Public trust in US media eroding: Pew study
U.S. behind attack on militant in Somalia: U.S. sources
| International
|
Web TV firm Joost ousts Chairman Mike Volpi
Student leader in dock as Iran resumes protesters' trial
Top U.N official to visit Sri Lanka, discuss refugees
| International
|
Dalai Lama briefed about US approach to Tibet
Obama touts Wall St. changes on Lehman anniversary
U.S. NATO envoy says Europeans firm on Afghanistan
Dalai Lama hopes to meet Obama in Nov: statement
Harkin: `Silent majority' back health care reform
Myanmar politicians' kin set to join new party
Obama urges financial industry to rebuild trust
Taiwan coast guard alerted after Japan nabs skipper
US joins UN rights council as member for 1st time
Outgoing Japan PM bids successor 'good luck'
Inspiration for movie 'Norma Rae' dies at 68
Regulators: accounting changes need global reach
New Islamic law in Indonesia's Aceh province
Obama: Some Wall St. firms ignoring Lehman lessons
Classes resume in riot-turn city of Urumqi, China
Indonesia's Aceh passes law on stoning to death
Tenn. ash spill community getting $40M from TVA
China lodges complaint at WTO over US tyre tariffs
Man accused of attacking mayor pleads insanity
Japanese high-tech giants in cellphone merger
Turkmenistan, Russia's Itera sign energy deal
New film Precious gets big push from Oprah
| Entertainment
|
Whitney Houston says mom rescued her from drugs
| Entertainment
|
Correction: Oprah Winfrey story
Winfrey, Tyler Perry push new film `Precious'
'Big Brother' reunion won't have booted contestant
Rocker Juanes' wife gives birth to son in Miami
Apocalypse now? Dark visions at Toronto film festival
| Entertainment
|
'Shakespeare in Love' set to be reborn as theater
World celebrities sing to stop global warming
Intel restructures, senior exec leaves for EMC
Mafia sank boat with radioactive waste: official
Iran agrees date for nuclear talks in move welcomed by US
Top al Qaeda militant killed in Somalia
| International
|
Europe to emerge from recession in 3rd qtr, says EU
U.S. senator promises look into cellphone-cancer link
Iran agrees date for nuclear talks in move welcomed by US
Magna says to cut 10,500 jobs at Opel
Iranian conservative harshly criticises regime
U.S. envoy meets Netanyahu over settlement freeze
| International
|
Broadcom files patent infringement suit against Emulex
Iran's talks with world powers to start next month
Chile to adopt Japanese digital TV standard: Bachelet
Netanyahu says won't freeze building in settlements
Microsoft testing 'Visual Search'
Obama lashes out at Wall Street
Japan cabinet takes shape, Fujii for finance: media
| International
|
New York Times warns readers of website virus
Norway's Stoltenberg set to stay in power
| International
|
UK's Conservatives have 14 point lead: poll
| International
|
U.S. concerned over Venezuela-Russia arms deal
| International
|
U.N. assembly votes for more powerful women's agency
| International
|
Swiss watchdog threatens to sue Google over Street View
US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,344
US military deaths in Afghanistan region at 752
HP shows off new ultra-thin PCs, stylish netbook
| Technology
|
Calif. judge gives ex assistant sheriff 27 months
DC subway worker dies after hit by train last week
3 New York residences raided in terrorism probe
Obama admin fights Bagram detainee court access
Rules on Wilson's outburst open to interpretation
U of Illinois faculty back leaders' ouster
Koreas exchange lists of families separated by war
U.S. senator promises look into cellphone-cancer link
| Technology
|
APNewsBreak: Report says punishment led to killing
Japan cabinet takes shape, Fujii for finance
Defense: Brooke Astor was lucid when changing will
Taiwan sub skipper falls overboard during training
Conservationists say 70 dolphins in Japan released
Classes resume after China syringe attacks
4th Guantanamo detainee agrees to move to Palau
Indonesia's Aceh to allow stoning for adulterers
Malaysian judge hands out 2nd caning for alcohol
Missile kills 4 in Pakistan; 18 die in stampede
US turns over seized prehistoric relics to China
Offshore holdings of NZ govt rise in August
S.Korea T-bonds inch up; eyes on jobs data
Actor Patrick Swayze dead at 57
Seoul shares gain as shipbuilders rally;techs down
S.Korea regulator calls for careful exit
Patrick Swayze dead at 57: report
US seeks fresh look at SKorea auto imports
Lowe, Garner blast Kanye West and 'You lie!' lawmaker
Dirty Dancing star Patrick Swayze dead at 57
| Entertainment
|
Leno launches U.S. prime-time television experiment
| Entertainment
|
Toyota says European demand won't recover till mid-2010
Venice Fest short on prizes for local fare
| Entertainment
|
AES shares rise on report of China interest
Whitney Houston says husband painted evil eyes in house
| Entertainment
|
Lame? Seinfeld stars reunite after 11 years
| Entertainment
|
Kanye West taking time off after debacle
| Entertainment
|
Keanu Reeves hams it up as webisode star
| Entertainment
|
Quentin Tarantino to open Mexican film festival
Actor Patrick Swayze dead at 57
Kiefer Sutherland to head new acting school
| Entertainment
|
New suspect emerges in possible Brian Jones murder
New suspect emerges in possible Brian Jones murder
| Entertainment
|
Marc Jacobs leads pack at NY Fashion Week
New suspect emerges in possible Brian Jones murder
| Entertainment
|
Neil Young taps No Doubt, Chris Martin for benefit
Film star Patrick Swayze dead at 57: reports
Whitney Houston says husband painted evil eyes in house
Lowe, Garner blast Kanye West and 'You lie!' lawmaker
Music world slams Kanye West over awards outburst
Rapper Kanye West taking time off after debacle
Recounts due at 10% of Afghan polling stations
Brown seeks to reassure unions before election
Google launches online news reader 'Fast Flip'
Obama lashes out at Wall Street
Iraqi who threw shoes at Bush released from jail
| International
|
Iraqi shoe thrower released; says he was tortured
Iran says lays ground for more cooperation with IAEA
| International
|
'Dirty Dancing' star Patrick Swayze dead at 57
Afghan recount to cover 10 percent of polling stations
| International
|
Iran nuclear talks probably in Turkey: Solana
One in six Mediterranean mammals face extinction
China says 75 suspects held over far-west needle scare
| International
|
Recounts at 10 percent of Afghan polling stations
Russia's Medvedev says may run in 2012 vote: reports
| International
|
Iran talks likely in Turkey
Chinese schools quietly discard controversial Web filter
| International
|
US lawmakers to quiz military chief on Afghan war
Bagram inmates win right to challenge detention
No more reckless behavior: Obama warns Wall Street
Chinese schools quietly discard controversial Web filter
| Technology
|
Scientists find virtual reality helps relieve pain
| Technology
|
Police: College student kills intruder with sword
Plane crash plotter to appear in Indiana court
A paw and a prayer: Pilots save shelter animals
Obama back on the economy
The Nation's weather
Rights group suspends analyst over Nazi collection
Philippine July remittances surge to 9.3 percent
Iraq shoe-thrower freed, accuses guards of torture
China wants action on IMF at G-20 summit
Pakistan foreign investment falls 36 pct in July-Aug
Taiwan dollar rises on stocks, c.bank caps gains
Japan airline to cut 6,800 jobs and seek tie-up
WRAPUP 2-South Korea says economic support has to stay
San Miguel seeks new business opportunities
SLanka foreign reserves record high: central bank
Seoul shares hit 14-mth closing high; banks gain =2
Prince Harry turns 25
Taiwan's Formosa Plastics plans huge Vietnam port
Dan Brown returns after 6 year wait
Aussie rocker Garrett won't join climate change song
Ukraine dismisses Elton John's adoption bid
Marvel vs. Disney: Two very different Americas
Rightwing Czech hate groups target Roma: report
Indonesia flash floods kill 38: official
No drugs please, we're Singaporean goths
Indonesian rights groups condemn new stoning law
Freemasons hail Dan Brown's latest novel as good fun
| Entertainment
|
Leno launches U.S. prime-time television experiment
Flash floods hit Indonesian village, 25 missing
'Dirty Dancing' star Patrick Swayze dies at 57
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights