Patrick Swayze Dies of Cancer at 57

Click On Image to Launch Gallery

Patrick Swayze, the beloved heart throb from Dirty Dancing and Ghost, has died of cancer at the age of 57. 

ABC News reports that the actor had been battling pancreatic cancer since March of last year. ”Patrick Swayze passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months,” Swayze’s publicist Annett Wolf said a statement. No other details were given.

Despite his fatal diagnosis, Swayze had remained hard at work. He put together a memoir with his wife and also shot an A&E drama series called The Beast, for which he had already made the pilot. Swayze said he opted not to use painkilling drugs while making The Beast because they would have taken the edge off his performance. Ultimately, A&E decided not to renew the show for a second season.

When the media first learned of Swayze’s disease, some reports gave him only weeks to live. However, his doctor said his situation was “considerably more optimistic” than that. Regardless, fans of the actor were devastated by the news.

Swayze was optimistic, but also realistic: ”I’d say five years is pretty wishful thinking,” In an interview with Barbara Walters earliert his year, Swayze said, ”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.”

Check out more Patrick Swayze news!

We’ll miss you, Patrick.