Relatively few Hollywood marriages stand the test of time, so when one comes along that so clearly exudes love and sincerity, you tend to take notice. Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi were one such couple, and their 34-year marriage was a lesson in dedication and survival through good times and bad.

They led a relatively quiet life together -- for years spending most of their time at his horse ranch near Los Angeles, where he died Monday after battling cancer. But over the years, he's been outspoken in discussing the beautiful nature of their relationship. Flip through the gallery for classic pics, quotes >>

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Patrick & Lisa: A Love Story
A 19-year-old Swayze met Lisa Niemi in 1970 at his mother's dance studio and she immediately brought the cocky hunk and his ego down to earth. "She didn't buy any of my nonsense," he's said of their early days. "We spent half our dates in total silence as she wouldn't talk to me if she thought I was putting on an act." Five years later they were married.
Getty Images
Getty Images