I can remember watching Patrick Swayze when I was a young child. Like many, I grew up watching films of his such as: "Road House", "Point Break", "Ghost", "Next of Kin", "Dirty Dancing"…etc. The man had passion, on and off the screen. He was born on August 18, 1952 in Houston, Texas. He was the second child of Patricia "Patsy" Yvonne Helen , a choreographer, dance instructor, and dancer, and his father Jesse Wayne Swayze an engineering draftsman. We all know where he got his smooth swagger and fine moves from of course.

In his early career, Swayze's first professional appearance was as a dancer for Disney on Parade. He later made his first film appearance in a movie titled “Skatetown, U.S.A.” It was his role in "Dirty Dancing", however, that impressed a very large audience and made Patrick Swayze a house hold name. As he gradually worked his way up to a superstar, some of his films
became cult classics. To cap the great popular response from his films, he received a golden globe nomination for best actor in a motion picture musical or comedy. Adding to Swayze mania was a recorded song for Dirty Dancing’s soundtrack “She’s Like The Wind”. The song reached #3 in the billboard charts hot 100 and #1 on Adult Contemporary. Many people might not know it, but this song was actually intended for his first film “Skatetown, U.S.A.” . Ironically, this became an excellent choice for the song to be on the soon to be cult classic film, "Dirty Dancing".

Though the follow-ups to his mega hit "Dirty Dancing" didn’t quite reach the same level of popularity, Swayze still managed to come out with films like: "Next of Kin" and "Road House". But, in 1990, when Swayze took on the role as Sam in the film “Ghost” co-starring with Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg, he once again won the hearts of millions. This film grossed over 505 millions dollars worldwide. This elevated Patrick Swayze to higher
levels in Hollywood which made him a money making powerhouse, clearly surpassing his fame in "Dirty Dancing". For his role in "Ghost", he earned yet another Golden globe nomination.

But, that wasn’t enough for Patrick. He decided to explore the darker side of his screen image and do what many actors love to do. He took on the role of the “bad guy” in the movie "Point Break" which co-starred Keanu Reeves and produced by Terminator director James Cameron. Immediately the film became an action film classic, grossing over 83 million dollars worldwide. He had now established himself as both an action star as well as a romantic star. City of Joy, followed the next year in 1992 along with “Father Hood“. But it was “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar” that shined a different light on Swayze as he again stretched the limits of his acting capabilities. In this film, he strapped on the heels and went to work. Though the film received mixed reviews Swayze received yet another Golden Globe Nomination. Sadly this marked a turning point in Patrick's film career. His next 12 to 13 films went directly to DVD. His last big screen feature film "Black Dog" did not have the momentum or hype as "Point Break" or "To Wong Foo."

Two years later on June 1, 2000, Swayze (a licensed pilot) was flying with his dogs in his twin-engine Cessna from Van Nuys, California to Las Vegas. His plane developed a pressurization problem over northern Arizona, causing Swayze to make a precautionary landing on a dirt road in a housing complex in Prescott Valley. Swayze was unharmed and able to obtain a ride (with his dogs) from a passing vehicle. Was this pure luck that he walked away with no harm? We’ll never know.

Sadly, a couple years later in late January of 2008, Patrick was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer and underwent chemotherapy and other treatments at the Stanford University Medical Center. It seems unclear how bad or how much the cancer had spread during that time. Various tabloid reports suggested that he underwent surgery to remove parts of his stomach to remove majority of the cancer. As rumors spread, photos were circulated of Swayze smoking while still diagnosed with cancer. Photos which were surfaced on the internet made their way eventually to the magazines. It is unknown if the photos of him smoking while having cancer were real or fake.

Though sick and cancer ridden, Patrick still managed to do what he loved best. He embarked on a new television series title "Beast". Swayze was able to film the first season for A&E. He received great reviews for his character and to use a sports phrase was able to hit another home run. Alas, as the months passed, it became evident that he would be unable to continue the series. Tragically, on September 14, 2009, twenty months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, at age 57, Patrick Swayze passed away with his family at his side. A sad story, indeed. However, Patrick Swayze left a brilliant body of work that the film industry and we, his fans, can often replay to keep him always in our hearts and minds. His movies will help rekindle memories of where we were at certain points in our lives. The world will always remember the man, Patrick Swayze, his great body of work, and the legacy he left his family, his fans as well as the film industry. If there is one thing I could say to Patrick Swayze, if he could truly hear me, it would be this line which he used in the movie, "Point Break". “I’ll see you in the next life”.