Patrick Swayze, star of hit films like Ghost and Dirty Dancing, died Monday, September 14 after a drawn-out struggle with pancreatic cancer.
Swayze first became a superstar after 1987's Dirty Dancing. He followed it just two years later with the barroom action-adventure stomper, Road House, and the Academy Award-winning Ghost in 1990. He also starred in a number of cult favorites, including John Milius's Red Dawn and Richard Kelly's 2001 dark indie drama, Donnie Darko.
"[Swayze] passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months," said a statement by his publicist, Annett Wolf. No further comments were made.
Outside of his film career, Swayze was a known environmental activist. He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Niemi.
This article appears in Dec 2-8, 2000.