I'm sure that by now news of the death of the 'Swayz has reached your ears and / or eyes!

While it would be tokenistic to posthumously elevate Patrick into the pantheon of great actors of our time there was something intrinsically likeable about the man, despite his often less than inspired career choices.

Nonetheless it was Swayze's affable persona and undeniably tongue in cheek screen presence that led to him being the sole redeeming feature in a great many terrible films (Road House, Tiger Warsaw etc.)

And, let us not forget that Pat did turn in some really quite good performances!

His turn as the uber cool, amoral armed robber / extreme sports enthusiast / armchair philosopher Bodhi elevated Point Break from being just another early 90s buddy picture.
Mind you, I could probably train a pomegranate to steal a scene from Keanu Reeves.
Not to mention his surprisingly moving performance as murdered yuppie banker Sam Wheat in Ghost! Even if you didn't burst into tears at the end I defy anyone not to give a toss about that character by the end of the film.

But it's as Johnny Castle that Swayze stole the hearts of generations of hormonal adolescent girls the world over. In Dirty Dancing, Swayze proved that not all male dancers are homosexual (and that some are even macho enough to wear leather jackets!). Although I can't help hating him a little for all the unrealistic expectations his character would create for generations of would-be suitors of the afore mentioned hormonal adolescent girls.

Smug, impossibly handsome dancing twat!