Somers has posted an apology for her comments about Patrick Swayze's death, saying that what she believed was a private conversation was actually with a reporter.
"I was very saddened to hear that Patrick Swayze passed away last week of pancreatic cancer, the most virulent and lethal of all the cancers. My heart and deepest condolences go out to his wife, Lisa, and his family, his friends, and the millions who loved him," Suzanne offered.
She continues, explaining that a man she did not know was a reporter took her comments out of context. "In a casual conversation at a private party (with someone who never identified himself as a reporter) at the Toronto Film Festival last week, I was asked about this beloved actor. It was never my intention to make an official statement about his passing. I was not informed or aware I was being interviewed. I would never have been so insensitive as to offer a public statement so close to his untimely passing. I sincerely apologize if my comment has caused any additional pain to his family during this difficult time."
Suzanne, a breast cancer survivor, relates to the pain Patrick suffered in his battle with pancreatic cancer. "Having had cancer myself, I know firsthand the pain and suffering heaped on patient and family... In Toronto, I was thinking out loud and wishing for a different outcome for this beautiful man and his devoted wife... I know that every choice made in this devastating situation was made with love and care."
Somers concluded that she was a major fan of Swayze's work, and was sorry that his life had been taken too soon.
Patrick and Lisa's Love Story
Patrick met Lisa when he was 19 and she was 15. At the time, Lisa was taking dance classes with Patrick's choreographer mom, Patsy Swayze.
Before meeting Lisa, Swayze admitted, “I had been meeting girls with names like Mimi and Angel. And for a long time I didn't feel like I deserved Lisa.”
Swayze and Niemi said “I do” on June 12, 1975. The wedding was held in the backyard of Lisa's Houston home, and the reception was held at Patrick's family dance studio.
Patrick's relationship with Lisa inspired the actor to write “She's Like the Wind” for the 1987 soundtrack to “Dirty Dancing.”
Patrick and Lisa didn't appear together onscreen in “Dirty Dancing,” but Swayze routinely practiced his choreography with Lisa at home.
At the World Music Awards in Monte Carlo in 1994, the couple took to the stage for a romantic dance set to an instrumental version of Whitney Houston's “All the Man That I Need.”
Patrick and Lisa had the opportunity to costar in several projects, including 1987's action film “Steel Dawn” and 1998's “Letters from a Killer.”
Honesty was one of the many traits that drew Swayze to Niemi. “She was different than anyone I'd known. Like a flower. If I started my macho stuff, she'd cut me off fast,” Patrick told People magazine in 1984.
Lisa directed Patrick in the April 9, 2009 episode of the A&E show “The Beast,” which Swayze filmed while undergoing chemotherapy.
The couple ran two businesses together — a music business and a wildlife preserve.
The couple hoped to have children together, but it wasn't meant to be. Lisa suffered a miscarriage in 1990, and afterward “we got so focused on our world and our careers that we missed the boat,” Swayze told People in 2007.
All throughout Patrick's battle with pancreatic cancer, Lisa was by his side to help him soldier on. From helping him keep track of his medication to flying him to chemo treatments (she's a registered pilot), Niemi cared for Swayze non-stop throughout his treatment.
Lisa was reportedly by Patrick's side when the actor succumbed to pancreatic cancer at the couple's ranch on September 14, 2009.
After learning he was suffering from pancreatic cancer, Patrick began writing a memoir with Lisa titled “The Time of My Life.”
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