34-year-old Swayze’s wife was by his side through to the very end…
Without a doubt, Patrick Swayze earned his place in history as the man to whom all women aspired and whom all men wished they might be.
But after living a life in the spotlight, the beloved entertainer died without achieving his major dream.
His final words included three statements, and his wife Lisa has been haunted by them ever since.
Fans continue to mourn the loss of Patrick Swayze, who passed away in 2009 at the age of 57 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Swayze is most remembered for his roles as the love interests in classic movies like Dirty Dancing and Ghost. He was one of the most famous on-screen hotties of the 1980s and 1990s.
He was very passionate in real life, and he and Lisa Niemi were married for 34 years before he passed away in 2009. The real-life love story he had is therefore better to all of his Hollywood efforts.
Over the years, Swayze’s wife has been open about her final interactions with him, including the last words he said to her before his tragic passing.
Niemi spoke about her marriage this year for the documentary I Am Patrick Swayze, which debuted in August 2019—on his birthday and shortly before the ten-year mark of his demise in September.
She had met Swayze before he became well-known. They were wed four years before the actor made his movie debut, in 1975. They originally met as teenagers, when Niemi started taking dance lessons from Swayze’s mother.
I was 14 when I first met him, according to Niemi in her memoirs Worth Fighting For. Patrick was buff and tan, had a stunning smile, and was known as a Casanova.
But before the soon-to-be married couple’s love started to develop, it would take some time.
Swayze claimed that if he started striking a pose or acting like a Casanova, Lisa would withdraw and remain silent. “We went out on a lot of silent dates.”
But as soon as they started dating, their union developed into something like to a genuine Dirty Dancing. Patrick was aware that Lisa had to be with him. As time went on, she came to like him. They promptly began dating as a result.
According to Niemi in the film, “Buddy and I danced together for the first time during a school exhibition.We walked onto the stage. Everything seemed to come to life when I looked into his eyes.
The couple remained dedicated to their marriage despite Swayze’s amazing success in Hollywood. He was the “Sexiest Man Alive” according to People Magazine and a sexual icon for ladies everywhere, but he never betrayed his wife.
She was the smartest woman I had ever met, I knew it. Before Lisa, I had been meeting girls with names like “Mimi” and “Angel.” For a very long period, I didn’t think I deserved her,” Swayze recalled.
On June 12 of that year, the couple exchanged vows. Given how regularly Hollywood marriages break up, Lisa and Patrick’s union stood out. The absence of children for Lisa and Patrick was the only thing missing from this ideal romance.
Ever since they got married, Swayze and Niemi had wanted to start a family. They were thrilled to find Lisa was expecting. But when she miscarried, their joy was exchanged for sorrow.
He was brokenhearted by it. He wanted to be a parent more than anything. According to Swayze’s longstanding friend and bodyguard Frank Whiteley, he had everything a young person could desire. He possessed wisdom, talent, goodness, and love.
I was born to be a dad, Swayze allegedly told Closer magazine.
As the years passed, Lisa realized she was getting too old to have children. Niemi made the decision to approach her husband about adoption instead.
In the August 2019 episode of the Paramount Network documentary I Am Patrick Swayze, Lisa said: “I had been seeing an acupuncturist for a very long time, and then all of a sudden I was too old.” Lisa went on:
Although I definitely should have approached it differently, I still might have wasted some time. You are aware nonetheless that I asked, “How do you feel about adopting?” He cried bitterly and added, “I want to have kids with you.”
In the documentary, Patrick’s manager Kate Edwards later said, “Patrick very much wanted to be a parent because I think he wanted to be as good a father to his child as his dad had been to him.”
Patrick Swayze’s brother Don added some heartbreaking perspective to the actor’s passionate wish to have children.
According to Don, who is an uncle, “You could tell he would have been a fantastic dad; you could see what an excellent dad he would have been.” … They tried, even though it crushed his heart and he would never have wanted Lisa to feel bad about having miscarriages.
Undoubtedly, Patrick Swayze’s inability to have children was a significant impediment. Although Lisa Niemi and he thought their love for one another was the most essential thing, Patrick Swayze’s career was flourishing.
Sadly, their story would have a depressing ending. The pair received devastating news when Swayze was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer after 30 years of marriage.
Swayze struggled with the diagnosis for a while and even continued to work on the set. The entire time, his wife stood at his side:
The worst thing that might occur, in Niemi’s opinion. Every day, you fight for that person’s life. I know he battled every day for his rights.
But by September 2009, it was clear that Swayze didn’t have much time left. Swayze, a lifelong heavy smoker, was treated by Dr. George A. Fisher at Stanford University.
He eventually ran out of energy to undergo treatment.
“I had to let go or it would have torn my heart to pieces,” writes Niemi.
Even as it was, my heart was already shattered. I felt that I had failed. I could only put up with it if I reminded myself constantly that it wasn’t about me. That was connected to our love. I needed to let go.