09-15-2009, 12:45 AM
Patrick Swayze dies after cancer battle - CNN.com
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Patrick Swayze, whose good looks and sympathetic performances in films such as "Dirty Dancing" and "Ghost," made him a romantic idol to millions, has died, his publicist told CNN affiliate KTLA. Swayze was 57.
Swayze died Monday after a battle with pancreatic cancer. His doctor, Dr. George Fisher, revealed in early March 2008 that Swayze was suffering from the disease.
Swayze "passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months," his publicist, Annett Wolf, said a statement released Monday evening, according to KTLA.
Most recently, Swayze starred in A&E Network's "The Beast," which debuted in January.
He agreed to take the starring role of an undercover FBI agent before his diagnosis. The network agreed to shoot an entire season of the show after Swayze responded well to his cancer treatment.
In an interview with ABC's Barbara Walters in January, Swayze said his work on that show was exhausting, requiring 12 hour workdays in Chicago, Illinois, doing his own stunts. But he said the show's character "just felt right for my soul."
"If I leave this Earth, I want to leave this Earth just knowing I've tried to give something back and tried to do something worthwhile with myself," Swayze told Walters, when asked why he decided to do the show. "And that keeps me going, that gets me up in the morning. My work ... is my legacy."
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Patrick Swayze, whose good looks and sympathetic performances in films such as "Dirty Dancing" and "Ghost," made him a romantic idol to millions, has died, his publicist told CNN affiliate KTLA. Swayze was 57.
Swayze died Monday after a battle with pancreatic cancer. His doctor, Dr. George Fisher, revealed in early March 2008 that Swayze was suffering from the disease.
Swayze "passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months," his publicist, Annett Wolf, said a statement released Monday evening, according to KTLA.
Most recently, Swayze starred in A&E Network's "The Beast," which debuted in January.
He agreed to take the starring role of an undercover FBI agent before his diagnosis. The network agreed to shoot an entire season of the show after Swayze responded well to his cancer treatment.
In an interview with ABC's Barbara Walters in January, Swayze said his work on that show was exhausting, requiring 12 hour workdays in Chicago, Illinois, doing his own stunts. But he said the show's character "just felt right for my soul."
"If I leave this Earth, I want to leave this Earth just knowing I've tried to give something back and tried to do something worthwhile with myself," Swayze told Walters, when asked why he decided to do the show. "And that keeps me going, that gets me up in the morning. My work ... is my legacy."