Swayze's 34-Year Marriage a Special Bond

By PopEater Staff Posted Sep 15th 2009 05:12PM

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

Watch Video Featuring the Couple:

Patrick & Lisa, 'One Last Dance'

Barbara Walter Interview

Stars Remember Swayze on Twitter

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Remembering Patrick Swayze

Actor Patrick Swayze has died at the age of 57 after a nearly two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. Look back at the highlights of the beloved star's life >>>

Getty Images / Lionsgate Home Entertainment / AP / Paramount / Everett Collection

Stephen Lovekin, WireImage

Tags: lisa niemi, LisaNiemi, patrick swayze, PatrickSwayze

Comments

(212)

Wednesday 16 September

By Escalonz

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You speak for all of us John. Why they allow this sort of cheap advertisement is frustrating unless they are getting some sort of payback?

Tuesday 15 September

By escalonz

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By Suzi

I couldn't say it better! Ditto!!!

Thursday 17 September

By Diane

I agree with you john.Patrick was great all around and this site is for him and his family,friends and fans. not some dating site or insensitive jerk.

By mike

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UNEDUCATED BLOGS!!! SMOKING HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS TYPE OF CANCER.

By Tom

I am sorry that he passed, he was good at what he did, which was to entertain. I just bought the movie "Point Break" not too long ago, it was pretty good. You hate to read the news these days, you see someone (like Patrick) battling a terminal disease and know, that too soon, they will die. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.

By jake

seems like a nice guy, i think being married kept him focused and he wasn't like 99% of the idiot actors we read about. to bad no kids .they are right they did miss the boat on that one. marriage without kids is like turning on the tv with only words but no picture . i would never recommend a marriage with no kids it enhances it so much. it after all is the purpose in life .. recreation.

By Pixistix

Hey, Jake - "Recreation is the purpose in life?" Geez,
your marriage didn't help your thought process did it?
Anyone can have kids - and unfortunately they do. Living in a "Child-Free" marriage is not, as you said, "TV without sound." It's more like Direct TV/Cable/HD with surround sound. Frankly, without kids, your marriage becomes such a priority that your love for each other only deepens and more time allows you to become closer.I highly recommend it! So many couples only stay together because of the kids. You could tell with Patrick and Lisa how committed they were to each other and they were very fortunate to have so many wonderful years together. You could just see their love for each other. My heart goes out to Lisa and their families. May God bless them all.

By Terri

Not everyone wants to have kids you toolbox!!!!!!!! not everyone wants to get married either. Just because thats what everyone else is doing, doesn't mean the rest of us should?

You lot just can't accept the fact that by not doing that we have more freedom AND time to do what we want.

Since when is it a crime to not get married and have kids!?

Whether people like your like it or not, not everyone intends on procreating so accept it and get the hell over it buddie!

With all the morons like you in the world why would some of us even want to? lol.

There are many reasons people don;t want kids but WHY they don't have them is NONE OF YOURS OR ANYONE ELSE'S BUSINESS.

Believe me, if I even wanted a kid I would adopt- I certainly don't need any man to do that. Their not good for anything

I am f*ckin glad I'm having none. If you think us childless people even care what you people think, think again!!!!!!!!!

By brenda oneil

paul thompkins you are a classless man to say something like that when poor patrick swayze isn't even cold yet. you probably are just a small man who'll never know true love or just ignorant.

By Lynn

I know her pain....My heart goes out to the family! God bless! :(

By dano

My sympathy to Patrick Swayzes widow and family. I will really miss him. POPEATER is crying with crodile tears. TMZ and POPEATER are in the slime business. I wish we could see what went on in the privacy of the POPEATER employee homes. TMZ is being sued by everybody in Hollywood, and we can all remember how TMZ & POPEATER handled the Natasha Richardson accident.....If you don't recall, just google it. It was really disgusting. Then last month they did a big story on Liam Neeson, and how he is handling Natashas death. It was really a joke coming from these guys.

By atottobc2

Patrick was one Hell of an actor. He was excellent in The Outsiders (which also starred Matt Dillon, future Karate Kid Ralph Macchio and launched the careers of Tom Cruise), Red Dawn, Ghost and Road House were some of his best work. His passing is very reminiscent to Rick Wright (co-founder/keyboard player/songwriter of Pink Floyd) whom passed away from cancer almost one year to the day before Patrick Swayze. However, Wright (unlike Swayze) kept his illness out of public view as Pink Floyd were very media-shy. According to David Gilmour (Wright's former Pink Floyd bandmate and friend), Wright had his cancer beat when it went in remission (had surgeries and so forth). Then it came back with a vengeance and killed him in a two month span. My grandmother died in same manner that Rick passed away on Valentines Day 2004. She had cancer beaten but it came back with a vengeance. God bless my grandmother, Rick Wright and Patrick Swayze.

By William T.

Paul,

You have the I.Q. of a retarded mosquitoe.

By Mary

I had colon cancer in my 20's and that is not supposed to happen til you're in your late 40's . I am cured and I'm greatful. No one knows what causes cancers of any type doctors agree on this. There is just something that goes wrong with certain peoples cells. I know do not like how cold you are Paul you must never have had any true pain in your life, and never have had any true loss in your life. It's really too bad you're so cold and heartless in your heart, mind and soul.

By cinder

i can only hope for a marriage like there's, in this day & time women are only out for 1 thing MONEY that's all it matters to women of today

By jessica

How nice to see this rather than all of the stupid Paris Hilton type bull crap on tv and the internet. I am a Finnish woman like Lisa Niemi and am proud that she loved her husband so well, as he clearly loved her. Whoever had the stupidity to suggest that Patrick deserved his fate for smoking, I hope you are never faced with a diagnosis, or loved one with a diagnosis, you do not expect. Lifestyle is only a small part of the cancer phenomenon. Better treatment is needed, or as Patrick said, cure needs to become possible.

By geri

Mike....smoking does cause Pancreatic cancer, the type of cancer that he died from...I was not aware of this either and being a smoker it opened my eyes wide open....may he rest in peace

By Chalalabread

Smoking does NOT cause pancreatic cancer!!!!

By J

It's rare to see a couple still in love after all that time. At least you had true love. Remember that always and be assured that he still loves you whereever he is now. Our condolences for your loss.

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