Patrick Swayze Passes Away At Age 57

editor@buddytv.com — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:50:31 GMT

Actor Patrick Swayze, who rose to fame with roles in the movies Dirty Dancing and Ghost, has died after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 57.

"[He] passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months," his publicist, Annett Wolf, said in a statement.

Patrick Swayze Returns with 'The Beast'

editor@buddytv.com — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 06:00:00 GMT

It's been a long time since we've seen Patrick Swayze on the small screen. He's been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and has had a public battle with the disease but is, as he described it to Barbara Walters earlier this month, “kicking it.” Proving that he still has what it takes to make it in the entertainment industry, he has signed on to be the lead in A&E's new TV series The Beast, which kicks off tonight at 10pm ET/PT.

The Beast revolves around Swayze's character Charles Barker, an unconventional FBI veteran who takes on a rookie partner named Ellis Dove (Travis Fimmel) to train in his cynical yet clever style of “agenting.” Also featured on the show are Brette Taylor as Karen, Lindsay Pulsipher as Rose and Larry Gilliard as Nick.