Sadly, Patrick Swayze -- perhaps best known for "Dirty Dancing" -- has succumbed to pancreatic cancer at age 57. The Seattle Times ran an obituary by Adam Bernstein from the Washington Post:

Seattle Times

Former Royal Ballet dancer Martin Harvey, who is currently playing the role that Patrick Swayze made famous in Dirty Dancing in London's West End, paid tribute to Swayze on LBC radio station this morning.

Patrick Swayze was greatly admired and very popular in the UK and there was a lot in the papers about his long illness. I have to say I admired the dignity and stoicism he displayed throughout his ordeal. May he rest in peace.

I'll add obituaries as they appear.

I discover the UK quality press has gone into overdrive over Patrick Swayze’s death with The Guardian in particular featuring lengthy appreciations.

Here is what dance critic Sanjoy Roy has to say along with some clips of Swayze’s dancing.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2009/se ... ayze-clips

Next in the Guardian, a besotted female journalist recalls the day she met Swayze:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/sep ... ty-dancing

An appreciation of his best film – and it isn’t one with dancing:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/sep ... oe-queenan

A summary of his best roles:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/sep ... -key-roles

and his obituary:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/sep ... -key-roles

As much razzing the guy got in America, he really could dance. His mother is a well respected teacher who has trained many pro dancers. He was also married to a dancer.

I always thought he had a bit of a Gene Kelly vibe: graceful, but definitely masculine.

A very good obituary in The Independent:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obitu ... 87821.html

There was a special tribute to Patrick Swayze on A&E this week. I watched most of it. There were lots of photos from his time in Eliot Feld Ballet. This guy could really dance.

An AP article published in the Boston Herald: Dancers gather to honor Patrick Swayze

After Dirty Dancing, Swayze found himself heavily typecast and appeared in several flops, of which Road House was the most successful. His biggest hit came in 1990, when he starred in Ghost, with Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg.



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