Patrick Swayze has succumbed to pancreatic cancer at the age of 57. He died at home with his family.

Patrick Swayze has died after a nearly two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. Swayze’s publicist Annett Wolf says the 57-year-old “Dirty Dancing” actor died Monday with family at his side. He came forward about his illness last spring, but continued working as he underwent treatments.

It was 1987 when Swayze became a star with his performance in “Dirty Dancing,” a coming-of-age story set in a Catskills resort. The 1990 film “Ghost” cemented his status as a screen favorite.

Swayze played a murdered man trying to communicate with his fiancee through a spirit played by Whoopi Goldberg.

He kept on working even after it was disclosed in March 2008 that he had a particularly deadly form of cancer. He starred in “The Beast,” an A&E drama series, and said he and his wife were working on a memoir.

I remember when I watched Ghost for the first time. My parents had my brother and I watch it as kids, even though they warned us it might be scary for us. I vividly remember them telling us to pay attention to the ending of the film, as it showed a battle between good and evil. They also told us to pay attention to what happened to the characters who died in the film — the one who led a good life was brought to Heaven by angels, and the ones who led a bad life were dragged to Hell by screaming demons. Ghost is still a powerful movie to me, for that reason. I always think of that whenever I watch it. I also love it because it shows how love can transcend life and death, something I believe to be true — after all, the people we love who die do not stop loving us, nor do we stop loving them, and we’ll be reunited with them eventually. Again, I just found, and still find, Ghost to be a powerful, powerful movie.

But Patrick Swayze was also known for his roles in Dirty Dancing and Red Dawn, and it was Dirty Dancing that made him a legend. He was a Hollywood anomaly in that he was married to one woman since 1975, his wife Lisa.

He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January of 2008. He certainly lived longer than anyone expected, and rumors have constantly swirled since his diagnosis that he died. A few weeks ago, he opted to discontinue treatment and leave the hospital, so he could die at home in peace with his family.

Rest in peace, Patrick. And everyone, please keep his family and friends in your prayers during this difficult time.