Patrick Swayze's death marked a tragic moment in Hollywood history — and his final words add a sad yet beautiful footnote to his untimely passing.
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00:00Patrick Swayze's death marked a tragic moment in Hollywood history,
00:04and his final words add a sad yet beautiful footnote to his untimely passing.
00:08In 2009, beloved actor Patrick Swayze died from advanced pancreatic cancer. He was just
00:1357 years old at the time and had lived with his disease for fewer than two years prior to his
00:18death. Notably, patients suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer tend to live between three to
00:22eight months after diagnosis. A stalwart Hollywood star in the 1980s and 90s, Swayze was best known
00:28for roles in hit films such as Dirty Dancing, Ghost, and Point Break. His wife, Lisa Niemi,
00:32was also an actress and director. She appeared in a number of films over the years, and in 2003,
00:37directed and acted alongside her late husband in One Last Dance. In 2023,
00:41Niemi recalled the early days of their relationship in an interview with The Today Show.
00:46We had such an unlikely start, because we were both very cautious,
00:50because he had this reputation of being a Casanova."
00:52As a teenager, Niemi had taken dance lessons from Swayze's mother,
00:56and the couple met while performing together on stage. Recalling that moment, Niemi later said,
01:01"'I looked in his eyes. It was like, it's everything came alive.'"
01:06They married in 1975, and while their marriage was rocky at points, they always reconciled.
01:11Shortly before her husband died, Niemi told Barbara Walters that his diagnosis was like,
01:15quote, "'a nightmare you couldn't wake up from.'" And in her 2012 memoir,
01:19Worth Fighting For, she shares a few details about the final days in Swayze's life. She writes,
01:24"'I cherished our time alone, holding his hand, listening to music,
01:27sleeping with my arm around him, my head on his shoulder, wordlessly.'"
01:31According to Niemi's book, Swayze's final words to her were spoken on a Friday night.
01:35She remembers,
01:35"'My last words to Patrick? I love you. And those were his last words to me.
01:39After I brought him home, things went very fast.'"
01:42After speaking one final time to his wife, Swayze slipped into a coma. He died early that
01:46Monday morning. In her book, Niemi adds,
01:48"'In the quiet of Monday morning, September 14th, I looked at his face and listened to
01:52the tiny sips of air he was taking. There was something delicate, childlike about it.
01:56I knew it was time.'"
01:57Swayze died at his ranch in the Los Angeles area. His brother, Don, was also there alongside
02:02Niemi. Swayze was cremated, and his ashes were spread at the New Mexico ranch. After his death,
02:07his Ghost co-star Demi Moore tweeted,
02:09"'I love and will miss you. You are loved by so many,
02:11and your light will forever shine in all of our lives.'"
02:14Swayze and Niemi had no children together. But while his widowed wife remarried jeweler
02:18Albert DiPrisco in 2014, her love for her late husband remains.
02:22"'Just because somebody's gone doesn't mean you fall out of love.'"
02:26Referring to her new husband, Niemi said they felt blessed to find each other.
02:29"'Albert and I both felt like we had a lot of love still left to give,
02:34and felt very fortunate we found someone to give it to.'"
02:37In 2009, Niemi and Swayze had co-written The Time of My Life,
02:40a memoir about their life together as well as Swayze's experiences living with pancreatic
02:45cancer. The book was published posthumously. In 2019, Niemi also contributed to the documentary
02:50I Am Patrick Swayze. In 2023, Niemi opened up about what her life was like without her late
02:55husband. She told Today.com,
02:57"'Just because somebody's gone doesn't end your relationship with them. We spent 34 years
03:00together, and that's always going to be a part of my life and who I am.'"
03:03Niemi also spoke of her work with Pancreatic Cancer Action Network,
03:07a U.S.-based pancreatic cancer research and support advocacy non-profit.
03:11"'I still care, and I know how tough Patrick's and my journey was with this.
03:14Cancer may have taken him, but it didn't beat him, and I'm continuing his fight for him.'"