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Dirty Dancing star Patrick Swayze died at home aged 57 on 14 September 2009. The star who danced into our lives with Dirty Dancing and melted our hearts in Ghost had been battling pancreatic cancer since being diagnosed four years ago. "Patrick Swayze passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months," Swayze's spokeswoman Annett Wolf said in a statement to the Associated Press. The actor had been planning to write his memoirs with his wife of 34 years, Lisa Niemi.

Pancreatic cancer is known as the ‘silent killer’ due to its tendency to remain undetected until it is too late for treatment. It is one of the most virulent forms of cancer, which medical experts say has a five per cent survival rate.

We take a look back at the actor’s life in pictures.

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