- Patrick Swayze was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in late January 2008

- Swayze has been undergoing chemotherapy and other treatments at the Stanford University Medical Center.

- Swayze was born on Aug. 18, 1952, in Houston, TX.

- His father, Jesse Wayne, had been a champion rodeo cowboy

- His mother, "Patsy" Yvonne Swayze, was a dancer and choreographer who owned the Houston Jazz and Ballet Company.

- Swayze and his wife, Lisa Niemi, have been married since 1976

- They met while she was a dance student of his mother's

- Began career as dancer, touring as Prince Charming in "Disney on Parade"

- Performed as skater at Galleria Ice Skating Pavilion in Houston

- Studied at the Harkness and Joffrey Ballet Companies

- Was hired as the principal dancer at the Eliot Feld Ballet Company

- erformed briefly as a principal dancer with the Feld Ballet; left because of aggravated knee injury from high school football

- Swayze attended San Jacinto College and was a member of the gymnastics team

- Swayze played the lead role of Danny Zuko in "Grease" on Broadway

- Swayze made his feature film debut in "Skatetown U.S.A."

- Swayze was a surfing and skydiving bank robber in 1991's Point Break

- Swayze played a drag queen in 1995's "To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar"

- Swayze was in 1990's "Ghost" opposite Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg

- Swayze recorded "She's Like the Wind" for the Dirty Dancing Soundtrack in 1988

- Named People magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" in 1991