Patrick Swayze Dies

* First Video: AssociatedPress' Report





* Second Video: Pancreatic Cancer






Patrick Wayne Swayze, August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009, was an American actor, dancer and singer-songwriter. He was best-known for his roles as romantic leading men in the films Dirty Dancing and Ghost and as Orry Main in the North and South television miniseries. He was named by People magazine as its "Sexiest Man Alive" in 1991.


Diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer in January 2008, Swayze told Barbara Walters a year later that he wanted the media to report that he was "kicking it". He died from the disease in September 2009.


His last role was the lead in an A&E TV series, The Beast, which premiered on January 15, 2009. Owing to a prolonged decline in health, Swayze was unable to promote the series, and on June 15, 2009, Entertainment Tonight reported that the show had been cancelled.


Pancreatic cancer is a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. Each year in the United States, about 42,470 individuals are diagnosed with this condition and 35,240 die from the disease. The prognosis is generally poor; less than 5 percent of those diagnosed are still alive five years after diagnosis. Complete remission is still extremely rare.