Actor Patrick Swayze has passed away!

After a long 20 month battle with pancreatic cancer actor Patrick Swayze has passed away at the age of 57. His publicist told the Associated Press that Swayze passed away peacefully at home with his family by his side. No further details were released.

Swayze earned his fame and sex symbol status with roles in film's such as "Dirty Dancing" and "Ghost". Even after learning of his cancer diagnosis Swayze continued to work and keep a positive attitude. After outliving his initial prognosis of 6 months, he went on to complete filming on an entire season of the A&E drama series "The Beast" in which he played an undercover F.B.I agent, earning rave reviews from fans and critics.

Swayze put up a good fight and Hollywood has lost another iconic star, our thoughts are with this family and friends during this difficult time!

Patrick Swayze's Fight For Life

Patrick Swayze may be dying, but he is not going without a fight. Remember Dalton in Roadhouse? Smart and strong? Swayze embodies his character in real life too with action, not bravado.

In his recent interview with Barbara Walters on ABC he revealed that not only is he not on his deathbed (which we all at PCM have been reporting), he has gone as far as to refuse pain killers while working a hard work schedule (TV Series "The Beast") on top of his pancreatic cancer treatment.

He is quick to report he is not dying. Not now. "Am I dying? Am I giving up? Am I on my death bed? Am I saying goodbye to people? No way," he told Barbara Walters.

He is clear on his passion to live too: "I keep dreaming of a future, a future with a long and healthy life, not lived in the shadow of cancer but in the light," he said. Despite his positive outlook on life, he admits he may only have two years to live. He wants to live long enough to find a cure. Many have reached out to Swayze suggesting he can go for a liver transplant which could extend his life by 18 years.

The Media Wants Patrick Swayze Dead

A couple weeks ago we at Pop Culture Madness reported how many of our fellow media reporters are calling these the last days of Patric Swayze. It appears the media wants him dead despite his heroic effort at recovery. In his own words, "They're reporting that I'm on my last legs and saying goodbye to my tearful family! ... It's upsetting that the shoddy and reckless reporting from these publications cast a negative shadow on the positive and good fight I'm fighting."

His new show The Beast is set for release January 15th and Patrick is reportedly benefiting from the work. His health is improving. His will to beat pancreatic cancer is important. It's important to so many people afflicted with this condition. Hope is a very powerful thing and for the media to circle like vultures is sick.

I personally speculated that Patrick was being used by his own studio to play into his character on the show The Beast. In retrospect, I feel that even I became caught in the trap of discussing his condition rather than his hope and how he is living. My truest hope now is that my original speculation is very wrong. It's one time I want to be wrong. Go Patrick!

Patrick Swayze is working again!

Patrick Swayze has been given medical clearance to start filming a television show for A&E. Swayze continues to battle pancreatic cancer and said he has been responding well to treatment.

According to People, filming for the police drama "The Beast" will start this summer in Chicago . The 55-year-old Swayze will play a veteran FBI agent who teaches his rookie partner, Australian actor Travis Fimmel, his unusual undercover crime-solving techniques.

"I have searched for quite a long time to find a character that is this multi-layered, unpredictable and downright entertaining, as well as a project this current and cutting edged," Swayze said in an A&E statement.

A scheduled premiere date for "The Beast" is early 2009.

Swayze was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March, and has been undergoing chemotherapy at Stanford University Medical Center. He will continue his treatment while filming the show.

Patrick Swayze is Responding Well to Treatment

According to Patrick Swayze’s doctor, the fifty-five-year-old actor is having a positive response to his cancer treatment.

Swayze and his wife Lisa Niemi are grateful for the support they’ve received form fans since the diagnosis and maintain that “all the prayers, meditations and good thoughts sent his way by everyone has made a difference.”

Swayze has been receiving chemotherapy and has been taking an experimental drug that is intended to cut off the blood supply to the tumor.

Dr Fisher, his oncologist, told People “Patrick Swayze continues to respond well to his treatment for pancreatic cancer. Because of his excellent response, he will continue the same therapy at Stanford.”

Patrick Swayze's illness confirmed

Reports were circulating that Patrick Swayze was suffering from cancer. The star is indeed suffering from pancreatic cancer, as his publicist has confirmed this information . In a statement issued to TMZ.com his publicist states:

Actor Patrick Swayze has been diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer and is currently undergoing treatment."

The statement continues, "Patrick's physician Dr. George Fisher states, 'Patrick has a very limited amount of disease and he appears to be responding well to treatment thus far. All of the reports stating the timeframe of his prognosis and his physical side effects are absolutely untrue. We are considerably more optimistic.' Patrick is continuing his normal schedule during this time, which includes working on upcoming projects. The outpouring of support and concern he has already received from the public is deeply appreciated by Patrick and his family."