115-252960398_a210b7a56d_m.jpgI opened BBC News this morning to read the sad announcement that Patrick Swayze has passed away, no less than 20 months after being told he had only weeks to live. I remember thinking months ago that it would be a sad day when this day did indeed come, and now that it is here, I feel I must say something about this man.

I’m not one for celebrity. Hence I have no problem writing about Patrick Swayze – because he isn’t one of these new celebrities that clog up newspaper stands and gossips columns across the world. Personally I think glossy magazines are soul destroying material that promote fake lifestyles that no one can ever attain to, and spur a culture of ‘me me me’ rather than ‘we we we’.

Even in this photo above, on his face there is a smile of satisfaction – not a vain pout of pride. There is a distinct lack of gloss, and a notable presence of genuine joy. On his arm is a wife – his companion and life partner – whose hand he holds like the treasure she is to him.

Patrick was the antithesis of everything about celebrity that I despise and rather stood for what a man should stand for:

  • He was a man of hard graft
  • A man who used his talents and pursued his dream, despite the bullies who mocked his ballet dancing
  • A man of character who stayed faithful to his wife of 30 years – who didn’t need a divorce to order to gain new publicity
  • A family man, who raising his kids with morality, a sense of responsibility to society – not as brats with too much money and no little sense
  • A man who made mistakes and had issues, but overcame them, rather than wallowed in them
  • A fighter, who fought that ugly thing called cancer for 20 months

Today I genuinely morn his death, because there is now one less of those quality men in our world.

I just hope that in reading, this inspires someone, somewhere, to take his place.

Archived Comments

  • trishastewart

    So love those words and wholeheartedly agree with you, there are so many false people in this world – we have the passing of Keith Floyd too today – what a character he was too

  • trishastewart

    So love those words and wholeheartedly agree with you, there are so many false people in this world – we have the passing of Keith Floyd too today – what a character he was too