Patrick Swayze won our hearts and gave us something to believe in with his brilliant performance in Dirty Dancing. Soon thereafter he shook us to the very core of human emotion in Ghost. The man solely responsible for valiantly keeping Baby out of the corner has passed away at 57 years young after sadly succumbing to the pancreatic cancer that had plagued him for the last 20 months.

       There are not really any truly correct words to describe what might be going on in most fans hearts and minds right now. Severely underrated in nearly every aspect of his field, Patrick Swayze was truly one of the most brilliant actors of our time. Although some of his films could be described as less than stellar, his individual performances never failed. From a no nonsense bartender in Roadhouse to a dolled up drag queen in To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar, Swayze never failed to impress even the most critical eye.

       Originally set on a career in dance (his mother was a professional ballet dancer), Swayze trained with the Eliot Feld Ballet Company until a recurring sports injury temporarily sidelined him. He took a stage role playing Danny Zucko in "Grease." That performance snowballed into a change of scenery for Patrick and soon he was landing bit parts in films. Significant roles in The Outsiders and Red Dawn followed and soon after came Dirty Dancing, the film that made him a star and scored him a top ten song from the soundtrack titled "She’s Like The Wind".

       The internet has been a buzz ever since this tragic news broke. The outpouring of care and concern and general shock proves just what kind of a man Patrick Swayze was. Patrick's Ghost co-star Demi Moore took to her twitter to express her sadness over recent events. "Patrick you are loved by so many and your light will forever shine in all of our lives." Moore then quoted Ghost, writing: "And in the words of Sam to Molly. 'It's amazing Molly. The love inside, you take it with you.' I love and will miss you Patrick." Others, including Ashton Kutcher and SNL head writer Seth Meyers chose to remember Swayze with looks back at his hilarious comic sketch from "Saturday Night Live" where he played a self conscious Chippendales dancer along side Chris Farley.

       The bottom line here is that no one is quite sure how to react just yet. The world will always wonder what more we could have seen from the man while never forgetting how much an icon he truly was and will remain. There are some people in this life that most of us never meet but that touch us in ways that we never thought possible. Through his craft, Patrick Swayze had a way of taking hold of something deep inside you and changing it for the better. He is loved and will be sorely missed as an actor, musician, author, spokesman for his disease, and human being.