RIP, Patrick Swayze

[calliopes_pen]

Patrick Swayze passed away yesterday after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer. May he rest in peace. He was 57 years old. It really hasn’t been a good couple of months to be a celebrity. I waited a bit to post it, just to make sure it was true—unlike when someone else said he was dead back in May.

I have never seen a single movie that he was in. For a while there, after checking IMDB I thought I had seen the episode of Whoopi he was in—but apparently not. So I’ve never seen anything of his. However, over in a comment to lithera’s post about it, ladymeag said it better than I could:

“I think part of the reason it is so sad is because he was so gracious and optimistic about his illness. He didn't throw a pity party, didn't use it to seek attention, didn't use it as a publicity stunt - he just made it clear that his life was dedicated to fighting this battle and winning it. It's sad to see someone with such strong conviction and such a real, down-to-earth way of handling it lose that battle.”

Comments

[scarfman]

He was in a M*A*S*H episode. He played a soldier who volunteered his blood for a buddy and was diagnosed with leukemia, and declined to take a discharge in order to stick with his buddy during his buddy's convalescence.

[calliopes_pen]

Ah--I've never watched that show, so I never would have seen him there.

[brewsternorth.livejournal.com]

I recall that M*A*S*H ep myself, mainly because of going "omgwtf Patrick Swayze?"

[pat-t.livejournal.com]

I heard about this today. So sad but I knew he was declining. I own Ghost and Dirty Dancing. MASH too, but I don't remember the episode off the top of my head.

[sharelle.livejournal.com]

You've never seen *any* of his movies? Really? That's actually a shame. Some of them are such classics.

[wheresmycow.livejournal.com]

You should see my favorite Swayze film, To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar. He was so wonderfully fierce in it as the Southern belle drag queen Miss Vida Boheme.

(Now that I think about it, that film also had what I think is Wesley Snipes's best role ever. Those three boys were all so ladylike :D)

[neadods.livejournal.com]

I've been waiting for someone to mention this one - the only other mention was in an interview with the man himself, talking about how he had to fight for the role because nobody believed he could play it.

Ghost and Wong Foo are equals in my eyes, but definitely my two favorites of all his projects. I'm going to have to go find that episode of MASH.

[calliopes_pen]

I think I'll have to track down To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar going by what I've heard of it. When I mentioned the movie to Mom, she just said that, and I quote, "He's very pretty in it. You wouldn't think he'd look good in a dress, but he did."

I believe it's on Encore every few days.

And I just found a download of Ghost, so I'll grab that later, too.