The longtime spouse of American actor Patrick Swayze, Lisa Niemi, has shared the last things he said to her before going into a coma. Learn what he said to her.
Patrick Swayze was a celebrated actor, dancer, and singer known for some of the memorable starring roles he appeared in throughout his career. He starred in a number of successful movies, including “Ghost,” “To Wong Foo,” “Thanks for Everything,” and “Point Break.”
In addition to being a well-known actor, Swayze was wed to Lisa Niemi for 34 years. She supported him through every tragedy he endured in his lifetime over the course of their three-decade marriage.
Niemi was also present when Swayze died and when he said his final words before going into a coma. Learn the meaning of those words as well as every detail of Swayze’s life and final months.
In an excerpt from her book “Worth Fighting For Love, Loss, and Moving Forward,” Niemi recounts her first encounter with Swayze.
When she was 14 years old, she saw him for the first time at Houston Music Theater. Then, Niemi’s theatrical company combined with Swayze’s mother’s dancing school. According to Niemi, Swayze was:
“Patrick had a reputation as a Casanova, was buff and tan, and had a brilliant smile. I wasn’t just a wallflower.”
As they entered and exited the theater, they came into contact for the first time. Swayze leaned down and gave Niemi a bottom pinch.
After that, he called out to her in a playful and cheerful manner, “Hey there, cutie.” Niemi, though, rolled her eyes and murmured, “Oh, brother,” before walking by him.
Niemi claimed that the decision to marry Swayze was made suddenly. Five years after they first met, they began discussing the future, but most of their exchanges focused on their aspirations to become professional dancers.
The two were sharing a small flat in New York City. Niemi said that when Swayze wrapped his arms around her, they were engaged in a tickling war.
His face flushed when she asked about the problem. “Why don’t we do it?”, he then questioned. “Why don’t we tie the knot?” The couple got married on June 12th, 1975.
When Swayze was a child, his mother Patsy, who founded the Houston Jazz and Ballet Company, taught him how to dance. As a perfectionist, Patsy had an impact on her kid. Frank Whiteley, a friend of Swayze, said:
His mother’s incessant insistence that he “needs to be perfect” served as his life’s inspiration.
Swayze’s father, Don, also known as Big Buddy, was an amateur boxer and rodeo rider. In his autobiography, Swayze referred to his father as a kind-hearted cowboy, saying:
Our family was founded on him, and he was the rock. a reliable and consistent presence in our lives. In some ways, my father took better care of us than my mother did.
Swayze excelled at sports and, thanks to his mother’s instruction, was a superb ballet dancer. He wanted to play football, but his aspirations were crushed when, at the age of 18, he suffered a terrible knee injury while playing.
Doctors informed Swayze that he would never be able to walk normally again after the accident. But he was determined to disprove the medical professionals, so he started taking dance lessons as part of his recovery.
Eventually, a nasty infection in his wounded knee forced Swayze to give up his ambitions of pursuing a career in ballet. He struggled to adjust to life without ballet and subsequently remarked:
“I spent years attempting to fill the gap left by leaving the ballet.”
Swayze, who was devastated to have to stop his dance career, transitioned into acting. He relocated to Los Angeles, where his debut picture, “Skatetown USA,” won praise from reviewers and moviegoers. The part ultimately resulted in the TV show “The Renegades.”
After his adored father’s unexpected death from a heart attack just as his career was about to take off, Swayze experienced yet another loss. Don was 57 years old and it was 1982. When Swayze’s father passed away, he was in an unending amount of anguish and started drinking heavily. He stated:
“I never really drank, but one of the first things I did after my father passed away was to get a case of Budweiser, which was his favorite beer.”
Swayze drank a lot of the beer despite not liking the flavor in an effort to become inebriated. But no matter how much he drank, the ache would not go away. He thus carried on drinking.
Following his collapse, Swayze began a lifelong struggle with alcoholism and despair. When his father passed away, he apparently discovered a way to deal, but his method ended up being self-destructive, according to his former agent Kate Edwards.
Edwards continued by saying that Swayze was unsure of how to express or put his emotions. Additionally, he was unsure of what to do or how to react.
Swayze and Niemi were married for 34 years but never had children. But it wasn’t because they didn’t want to.
Niemi discussed her and her late husband’s devotion to children during the August 2019 Paramount Network documentary “I Am Patrick Swayze,” according to Closer Weekly:
“We both adored children and had always hoped to have our own. I did get pregnant, however, I miscarried the baby. Who knew miscarriages were as emotionally taxing as they are? It was quite tragic.”
Swayze flourished in his career after appearing in “Dirty Dancing” and “Ghost,” but sorrow struck in 1990 when Niemi experienced a miscarriage. He stated in his autobiography:
“I had been so thrilled that day to go and see my baby’s heartbeat, but he had passed away. I was unable to manage it. Lisa and I both sobbed vehemently when we arrived in the parking lot, holding each other close.
“I grieved like I hadn’t in years since my father passed away,” he continued. “We both still get emotional when we talk about that day.”