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At the age of 57, Dirty Dancing actor Patrick Swayze has lost his battle to pancreatic cancer. His publicist released the following statement, “Patrick Swayze passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months.”

Most recently, the star of Ghost worked on the A&E drama, The Beast–all the while battling the disease. The first season managed to snag a sizable audience during its run, but was unable to obtain a green light for a second season.

In early 2009, Swayze told Barbara Walters in an interview that his prognosis was grim. “Two years seems likely if you’re going to believe statistics. I want to last until they find a cure, which means I’d better get a fire under it.”

We’d like to think that he’s still off dancing somewhere.

Gallery Info: Patrick Swayze photos.