The choreographer passed away in her home in Simi Valley after she suffered from a stroke last September 8.
- Sep 20, 2013
AceShowbiz - Famed choreographer Patsy Swayze, mother of late actor and "Dirty Dancing" star Patrick Swayze, passed away on Monday night, September 16 in her home in Simi Valley, California at the age of 86, two days after the fourth anniversary of Patrick's death from pancreatic cancer. The beloved Hollywood dance instructor's cause of death was not disclosed although the week before she died, she had a stroke on September 8.
Swayze is best known for her work in the 1980's film "Urban Cowboy", training its lead star John Travolta how to execute a two-step. Her other film choreography credits would then include the 1982 Matt Dillon starrer "Liar's Moon" and the 1998 romantic drama "Hope Floats" starring Sandra Bullock.
As a dance instructor, Swayze taught for almost two decades at the University of Houston, ran her own dance studio and founded the Houston Jazz Ballet Company. Apart from teaching her own son Patrick and his fellow actor Travolta, her other celebrity students include Tony Award-winning Broadway star Tommy Tune, "Fame" TV series director Debbie Allen, Academy Award-nominated actor Randy Quaid and TV icon Jaclyn Smith.
But perhaps her most profound influence was on her five children, who all became actors and dancers. Under her tutelage, son Patrick went on to become a certified and much-beloved Hollywood star, coming to fame by way of his romantic leading man role in "Dirty Dancing".
