Patrick Swayze 1952-2009
Patrick Swayze: A Talented Heartthrob Remembered
From Dirty Dancing to his valiant battle with pancreatic cancer, see what made the actor a beloved star
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'GHOST' OF A CHANCE
"I started realizing this could be one of those roles of a lifetime," the actor said of the 1990 blockbuster hit Ghost, about a murdered Wall Street investment banker who wants to help girlfriend Demi Moore catch his killer. "I needed to do it for my soul." The movie appealed to his spiritual side – and was often tough to make because it reminded him of his father's sudden death from a heart attack in 1982. "He's sensitive and has a vulnerability that's right out there," Moore (in the film's famous pottery wheel scene) told PEOPLE in 1990.

