Patrick Swayze has died according to his publicist. He was 57.
The news broke back in March 2008 that the actor was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer which spread to his internal organs. At that time media reports quoted a source who said he had only 5 weeks to live.
But Swayze vowed to fight the disease, and together with his wife Lisa Niemi, who both had pilot’s licenses, they flew to Stanford University Medical Center in California on the weekends for chemotherapy treatments.
By April 2008, the actor was well enough to continue working on a television series, The Beast, which premiered on A&E on January 15, 2009. Swayze was a heavy smoker who was frequently spotted lighting up on the set of his show. He told Barabara Walters that he seriously cut back on his smoking habit, though he hadn’t quit.
“I will go so far as to say probably smoking had something to do with my pancreatic cancer,” he told Walters.
After suffering a mild heart attack earlier this month, the actor left a hospital and went home to his Los Angeles home to die. His publicist said he passed away today (9/14).
Swayze’s best known roles were To Wong Foo, Ghost and Dirty Dancing.
Swayze originally thought he was suffering from gastroenteritis after he began spitting up blood in January 2008. Symptoms of pancreatic cancer tend to appear at a late stage when the cancer has already spread to other organs.
The symptoms include nausea, vomiting, fever, chills and severe upper abdominal pain that sometimes radiates to the back and right shoulder.
Pancreatic cancer is usually diagnosed in men 55 and older.
