The Hollywood actor Patrick Swayze died last night after living with pancreatic cancer for almost two years. The star of Dirty Dancing and Ghost was 57.
Swayze went public with his illness in the spring last year, and worked while he underwent treatment. He was writing a memoir and recently made The Beast, a well-received cable TV series about a veteran FBI agent.
Days ago it was reported he had left hospital to be at home with his wife, Lisa Niemi, his childhood sweetheart from Houston.
Swayze had said that he opted not to use painkillers while making The Beast because they would have taken the edge off his performance, but he never shied away from the fact his time might be running out. When he first went public, some reports gave him weeks to live, but his doctor said his situation was "considerably more optimistic" than that.
"I'd say five years is pretty wishful thinking," Swayze told ABC TV's Barbara Walters early this year. "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."
~x~ Want to see something on the site? Tell us, either by PM or in the Question and Suggestions thread! ~x~ Read the rules for all boards