Patrick Swayze's Wife Of 34 Years Says Reveals The Last Words He Said To Her Before Passing Away Of Cancer

Aug 24, 2019

It's hard to believe that legendary actor Patrick Swayze passed away over 12 years ago. A star even before "Dirty Dancing" and "Ghost," Swayze will forever be in our hearts. Sadly, the actor died on Sep. 14, 2009, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. His faithful wife of 34 years, Lisa Niemi, was by his side the entire time.

The couple met when they were teenagers and got married in 1975. This was four years before Swayze made his film debut in a roller disco film known as "Skatetown, USA." Also a trained dancer, Niemi even starred with Swayze in a dance film that she directed titled "One Last Dance" in 2003. 

Although they were devoted to each other, Swayze and Niemi weren't without ups and downs in their relationship. This included Swayze's rise to fame and battle with addiction over the years. Nevertheless, the lovebirds made it through.

A couple of years after Swayze's death, Niemi penned a memoir in 2011 titled "Worth Fighting For." In it, she spoke all about their love for each other all the way up to the very end. In the book, Niemi talks about her husband's last words before he slipped slowly into a coma.

It was a Monday morning that Niemi woke up to hear him taking tiny gasps of air. She said that there was an almost childlike feeling about what was happening. She knew that it was his time to go. He slipped away that very day. Let's take a look at her story. 

Married from 1975 until Swayze's passing in 2009, Niemi talked to Entertainment Tonight about how awful it was to watch her husband of 34 years fight cancer:

"It's the worst thing in the world to go through, you spend every day fighting for that person's life. I know that he spent every day fighting for his own...He survived 22 months, which was miraculous with the diagnosis that he received."

According to Niemi, Swayze took on a role working on the show "The Beast" while he was fighting pancreatic cancer. She said he was transformed during the role. While he had been spending a lot of time in bed, being in Chicago gave him an amazing burst of energy.

"His enormous burst of energy floored me. He was like his old take-charge self, going non-stop. I got Patrick back. He even showed occasional flashes of ‘star’ behavior, the stuff that would always drive me crazy, like making last-minute, arbitrary demands and suddenly being the unquestionable authority on ... just everything in the universe," Niemi wrote in her memoir. 

She also mentioned that Swayze never wanted his job to be easier just because he was diagnosed with cancer. Even when his character was supposed to jump over a wall, he insisted on doing it instead of the stuntman that was hired. Niemi insists that working on the set of the show made Swayze feel stronger and happier despite his diagnosis. But in just a little under two years after his initial diagnosis, Swayze succumbed to pancreatic cancer on Sep. 14, 2009. 

As per the Daily Mail, Niemi wrote about the moment she lost the love of her life in her memoir, revealing their final words to each other:

"My last words to Patrick? ‘I love you,’ and those were his last words to me. After I brought him home, things went very fast."

Heartbroken, Niemi took time to grieve before penning her book, which has helped to continue Swayze's legacy even after he's gone. What's more, Niemi, alongside co-stars and friends of Swayze, got together for a documentary about his life titled "I Am Patrick Swayze." It was released in 2019 on Aug. 18, which was also the late actor's birthday, coinciding with the 10 year anniversary of his death

In the documentary, Niemi talked about her time with Buddy, her nickname for her late husband. She talked about how she walked out on the stage so long ago and looked into his eyes. It was true love from the start. 

But the documentary isn't just about his triumphs. It also takes a close look at his struggles with alcohol abuse. Niemi said that he would be fun and bubbly until he was by himself. He would then crash, making their relationship strained and difficult. However, even though there were many challenges to overcome in their marriage, Niemi still loved him.

Over 12 years after his passing, fans of the handsome star are just as eager to learn everything that they can about the iconic actor. From the stories that those close to him revealed, he was truly a generous soul. 

Are you a fan of Patrick Swayze? What is your favorite film of his? Let us know and then pass this on to keep his legacy alive.