The sick joke going around these last few months was, “What do Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson want for Christmas? Patrick Swayze!”
Alas, they didn’t even wait till Thanksgiving. And I can tell you from personal experience that Swayze, while not exactly DeNiro-like in dramatic stature, was a very affable man who livened up many a red carpet event for me through the years. He was always accessible and quick with the sound bites, seeming to sense that it was part of his job as a movie star to make journalists’ night lives a little easier.
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My favorite movie of his–of the two good ones he starred in–was Ghost, which worked on every level and which turns me into a blubbering pile of melted pottery every time.
My favorite rumor about him was that he used to live with his wife and a male porn star in some kind of cozy and very convenient arrangement.
I totally believe it…though I also believe Whoopi Goldberg can talk to the dead.