Sadly, actor and dancer Patrick Swayze lost his 20 month battle with pancreatic cancer yesterday. He was 57. Swayze was one of those celebrities whose career has become timeless, knowing no generational bounds. Young adults are as likely to remember Dirty Dancing and Ghost by reputation if not from having seen them as are those of Swayze’s age, or older. Catch phrases from his films are still uttered as part of everyday language around the world - who will ever forget “nobody puts Baby in a corner” or the simple “ditto” to represent “I love you”?

Of course those are not the only roles for which Swayze will be remembered. He is fondly recalled as a road-tripping transvestite in To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, a brutal bank robber in Point Break, and even a competitive would-be male stripper facing off against Chris Farley in an unforgettable Saturday Night Live sketch.

Fellow celebrities are using Twitter as a sounding board for their grief, as are fans, with Swayze’s films becoming top trending topics on Twitter over the weekend. Ghost co-star Demi Moore tweeted sweetly, “Patrick you are loved by so many and your light will forever shine in all of our lives.” The sentiment appears to be shared by many.Source

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For once the latest buzz about astonishing weight loss hasn’t been generated by the anorexic looks of “stars” like Nicole Richie. Sadly, the world is talking about Patrick Swayze’s frightening weight loss, as portrayed by a photo on the cover of the latest National Enquirer. We say “portrayed” because it’s unknown how much, if any, photo editing was done.

The tabloid reports that in the process of battling pancreatic cancer the once heartthrob actor/dancer is down to 105 pounds. The extent of his continued role on his A&E show The Beast is now unclear, for reasons that become obvious when you see the photo below - and consider the living hell that is fighting this particularly horrific cancer.

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The cover of Patrick Swayze’s edition of People magazine has been leaked, along with a teaser of the cover story itself. Of his recent bout with pneumonia, Swayze told People:

“It made me suspect there was a possibility of some kind of infection,” he says. “I wanted to jump on it before it turned into a problem. As soon as I got home, I called my doctor and then went straight to the hospital and was immediately put on antibiotics.” (source)

Check out more about his story in People in this video. Plus: Fantasy Island star Ricardo Montalban dies at 88.

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Patrick Swayze is still “upbeat” despite hospitalization. On Friday Patrick went into hospital with pneumonia, due to a depleted immune system (a side effect from the chemotherapy he’s undergoing to fight pancreatic cancer). His mother Patsy Swayze says even under the circumstances “He sounds really upbeat and positive.”

In a recent interview, Patrick admitted he may only have two years to live, if pancreatic cancer statistics are any indicator. But he isn’t giving up hope. “I want to last until they find a cure, which means I’d better get a fire under it,” he said.

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Actor Patrick Swayze’s made headlines by speaking out about his ordeal with pancreatic cancer, which began last year, for the first time. In an interview with 20/20 he admits that he’s scared and “going through hell”:

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Patrick Swayze was involved in a close encounter with potentially hazardous materials at the Berwyn police station where he was filming for his A&E drama The Beast.

A Comcast worker walked into the police station carrying a box of white powder which he wanted to report to the police. When the contents tested negative for cocaine, concerns arose about the possbility of anthrax.

The contents turned out to be corn starch, and five people who were quarantined after the discovery have been released. As Patrick didn’t go near the powder, he was safe from any danger. (source)

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