I was deeply saddened to hear that actor, Patrick Swayze, died yesterday after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Like many women of my generation, I had a special affection for Patrick, after falling in love with him in the 1987 smash hit, Dirty Dancing (one of my all-time favourite films!), with his excellent portrayal of snake-hipped Johnny Castle and the line:

“Nobody puts Baby in the corner!”

Three years later, we fell in love with him all over again in Academy Award winning, Ghost, when he played Sam, who comes back from the dead to avenge his death and protect his girlfriend. This film was a perfect mix of comedy and heart-wrenching love story.

Despite acquiring a legion of female fans, his heart-throb status did not sit easy with Patrick, and he deliberately chose different types of roles to stop him being typecast as merely a “sexy male lead” or “dancer”. One such film, which poked fun at his “sexy man” tag was “To Wong Foo”, where with his very moving performance as transvestite, Vida Boheme.

I have had much admiration for Patrick, since his cancer was diagnosed in early 2008. He showed great strength and spirit of character, with his determination to face his demons head on and to continue living as ‘normal’ as possible, throughout his illness. He continued to work on his ranch, as well as working on the TV series “The Beast”, where he won praise for his portrayal of FBI agent, Charles Barker.

It is very sad news that he is now gone, at the relatively young age of 57.  However, at least we can take comfort in the fact that he passed away peacefully at home with family around him, and that his suffering is now over. I know that next time I watch “Dirty Dancing”, “Ghost” or “To Wong Foo”, I will shed a few more tears.