Patrick Swayze Knocks Death's-Door Rumor

Cancer-stricken actor lashes out at National Enquirer for cover story indicating his days are numbered

By Natalie Finn Mar 12, 2009 2:41 AMTags
Patrick SwayzeMichael Caulfield/Stand Up To Cancer via Getty Images

That may have been Patrick Swayze you saw rolling his eyes at the National Enquirer in the grocery-store checkout line.

The actor lashed out at the tabloid Wednesday over its latest cover, which features a picture of a gaunt and seemingly hairless Swayze and boasts the big, block-letter headline: "Patrick Swayze: The End."

"It's amazing to me that the tabloids such as the National Enquirer print such negative stories about me and my health when there are so many positive things going on in my life right now," Swayze said in a statement to People.

"I've started a new chemotherapy and, once again, I am one of the lucky ones with pancreatic cancer that is responding well to the treatment."

The Dirty Dancing star, who most recently carried the A&E FBI drama The Beast, revealed a year ago that he was fighting the good fight against the disease, having caught it early enough to keep hope of recovery alive.

Swayze also noted the great response he's received since The Beast premiered, said he's starting work on his memoir and gave a shout-out to the recent addition to his family—a 12-week-old Rhodesian ridgeback puppy named Kumasai.

"I hope in the future, the press will think twice about printing inaccuracies and painting an unpleasant picture when I have so much to be thankful for at this time," he said.

Fans braced themselves for the worst in January when the 56-year-old actor was hospitalized with pneumonia.

"I am alive and plan on continuing to stay that way," Swayze said at the time.

Last month, he penned a letter to Congress encouraging increased funding for cancer research.

"My hope is that some day, the words 'a cure' won't be followed by the words 'is impossible,' " he wrote.