Shining Light Patrick Swayze photo credit: retna
Tonight will be a very special Dancing With the Stars, as the production will pay tribute to the late Patrick Swayze (1952-2009) who passed away last week from pancreatic cancer by having the professional dancers interpret the music from some of his wildly popular films. Patrick waged a tremendous battle with the disease and was quoted as saying, “Winning to me is not giving up,” which he proved through and through. He was a trained dancer from a very young age, as his mother was a dance choreographer in his native Houston. In high school he dreamed of becoming a professional football player until a leg injury derailed his NFL wishes. However, he never gave up on dancing, and was one of the stars of the smash hit Dirty Dancing in 1987 which caused teens, housewives, and even grandmas to go into a frenzy for not only this style of dancing, but also for Swayze himself. He even made an appearance on one of the first episodes of DWTS in 2005 as a guest teacher, so it is fitting that DWTS would pay a special tribute to one of their own, the shining star that will always be Patrick Swayze. No doubt, he will be missed by those not only in the dancing community, but also those he touched through his movies, music, and his undeniable strength.
Watch the special tribute to Patrick Swayze tonight on Dancing with the Stars at 8/7c on ABC.
Click here to watch one of Patrick’s most famous dancing scenes, “I Had The Time Of My Life” from Dirty Dancing.
RIP.
[…] Dancing with the Stars contestant Kathy Ireland and her partner Tony Davolani, still touched by the Patrick Swayze tribute on their show the night before and that Swayze was “was such an inspiration. I hope he was […]