05/02/2026
Alcohol and pancreatic cancer
Actor and dancer Patrick Swayze died on September 14, 2009, at age 57 from stage IV pancreatic cancer, 20 months after his diagnosis. He passed away at his California ranch with his family at his side. Despite his illness, he continued working, starring in the TV series The Beast.
Key details regarding his death:
Cause: Pancreatic cancer.
Date: September 14, 2009.
Age: 57 years old.
Location: Los Angeles, California.
Family: Survived by his wife of 34 years, Lisa Niemi.
Swayze was diagnosed with the disease in January 2008. While he continued to work during treatment, including writing a memoir and starring in The Beast (2009), the cancer unfortunately metastasized to his liver.
In the winter of 1987, Lisa Niemi quietly packed a small bag, left a note on the kitchen counter, and walked out of the home she shared with Patrick Swayze. Their marriage, once strong and steady, had started to crack under the weight of Hollywood fame, exhausting work schedules, and the emotional toll of Patrick’s drinking. Lisa needed space. For the first time in more than ten years, the couple—who had first met as teenagers at her mother’s ballet school—were living apart.
They had married in 1975, long before Patrick became famous. Lisa, a dedicated dancer with quiet strength, had stood by his side through countless auditions and disappointments. But by the time Dirty Dancing became a global hit in 1987, their relationship was already strained. Fame magnified everything—late nights, constant public attention, and Patrick’s deepening struggle with alcohol became everyday battles. Lisa, once his steady anchor, felt herself drifting as he disappeared into the spotlight.
She didn’t leave out of anger. It was sadness. A need to breathe. Patrick was crushed. Privately, he confessed to friends that losing Lisa hurt more than losing any role. He began writing to her—long, handwritten letters every single day. Apologies, memories, and promises filled each page. Though they still lived just miles apart in Los Angeles, he sent the letters by mail. Some were filled with regrets. Others recalled the early days of their love—how he remembered her perfume in rehearsal rooms, or the way she giggled when he practiced lines at home. Lisa read every one.
Weeks passed. Then a month. But Patrick knew letters alone weren’t enough. One afternoon, he heard Lisa would be at a ballet class she occasionally taught. He showed up at the studio with a bouquet of lilies—her favorite. He waited by the door, quiet and unsure, until the class ended. When she came out, their eyes met for the first time in weeks. He didn’t speak right away. His eyes were red. His hands shook as he handed her the flowers. “I’ll do anything,” he said softly. “Anything to make this right.”
That moment shifted everything. Lisa didn’t say a word. She embraced him. And that night, she came home.
Their healing didn’t happen overnight. Patrick began therapy and took his sobriety seriously. Lisa stayed—not because she forgot the pain, but because she believed in his willingness to change. The next year, he told People magazine, “We’ve been through really hard times. But love isn’t about never hurting each other. It’s about fighting like hell to fix it when you do.”
They never shared much publicly about that time apart, but their closeness afterward told its own story. They began writing scripts together. In 2003, Lisa directed One Last Dance, a film they co-wrote and starred in. It was a story of two dancers trying to heal—a quiet reflection of their own path.
Their bond grew even stronger during Patrick’s final years. When he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2008, Lisa became his full-time caregiver. She was with him at every appointment, managed his treatments, and protected him from the press. In an interview with The Times, she said, “He was never alone. Not one night. I slept beside him every single night through the whole illness.”
Patrick passed away on September 14, 2009, with Lisa holding his hand. She later shared that during his final days, he would often call her “my girl” and whisper how thankful he was that she never gave up on him. What kept them together wasn’t perfection—it was the choice to keep loving each other, again and again, even when it was hardest.
