Patrick Swayze: 1952 – 2009

Patrick Swayze passed away today at the age of 57. Swayze, who shot to fame with Dirty Dancing and Ghost, was battling pancreatic cancer for the last 20 months. Initially given a dismal prognosis, Swayze persevered, convincing A&E to go on shooting his series, The Beast, while he underwent chemotherapy and took an experimental drug.

Alas, he succumbed to the disease today. Upon hearing the news, his family members and fans all swore to punch that stupid cancer in the face. Cancer, of course, is what they’ve nicknamed Spencer Pratt and although there’s no reason punching Spencer in the face should make people feel better about Swayze’s death, it somehow did and still does. [LAT]