Crazy for Swayze!

Patrick Swayze. I must have thought he was immortal or something. I seem to forget movie stars are just as human as we are and can die from cancer just as easily; I guess no amount of stardom and money can cure something if it’s your time.

Swayze’s obituary in Los Angeles Times basically only mentions his work. It doesn’t mention anything about Swayze or his character, but the movies he’s played in and how wonderful of a dancer he is. It speaks of how his mother taught him to dance at a young age and the different company’s he danced with until an old knee injury flared during his run with the Eliot Feld Ballet Company ending his dance career in 1976. It goes on to speak of the many, some unheard of, movies he was cast in, such as “Dirty Dancing”, “Ghost”, “Point Break”, “City of Joy”, “Next of Kin”, “Road House”, and many other cult films. The article quotes Swayze for saying “he was fed up with that Hollywood blockbuster mentality.” He didn’t want to be the leading man, which explains why he turned down $7 million to start in a “Dirty Dancing” sequel. But these cult films supplied him with the career he wanted for over 30 years. Although not a direct statement about his personal character, the obituary mentions how he continued working even after learning of his diagnosis with a deadly form of pancreatic cancer. It does show the readers and fans that he was very dedicated to his work.