Patrick Swayze has been struck down with pneumonia as he battles pancreatic cancer it has been announced. The Dirty Dancing star was due to attend a meeting of the Television Critic's Association in Los Angeles to publicise his new show, detective drama The Beast, but was unable to make it. "Patrick has asked that I tell you that this morning he checked himself into the hospital for observation," Robert DeBitetto, a spokesman for TV channel A&E told the meeting. "Chemotherapy can take its toll on the immune system and illnesses are a part of that. Patrick wishes me to tell you that he's very sorry he cannot attend but plans to get back to promoting The Beast soon." Swayze's spokeswoman, Annett Wolf, confirmed that the actor was in hospital.
