Sean Swayze, the younger brother of the late Dirty Dancing star Patrick Swayze, has died. He was 63.
The siblings are survived by their older brother, Don, and a sister, Bambi. Another sister, Vicky Lynn, died in 1994.
Sean worked as a teamster in the entertainment industry. TMZ reports that he died on December 15 of an acute upper gastrointestinal bleed and severe metabolic acidosis brought on by cirrhosis of the liver.
His death was confirmed by his cousin Rachel M Leon, who posted on Instagram a recent photo of Sean wearing a T-shirt reading: “Dirty Craw Daddy”.
She wrote: “I’m heartbroken to share that my cousin Sean Swayze passed away today. This is a picture he took recently for us to promote the Dirty Dancing crawfish theme. My daughter, a marketing manager, came up with this idea to honor our late cousin, Patrick Swayze.
“We sent the T-shirts to Sean, who wore them proudly for us. He was always fun and full of life. Just recently, we were talking about him coming down to Texas to spend time with us, and I was really looking forward to it.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to his brother Don Swayze and his children, Cassie Swayze , Kyle Swayze and Jesse Swayze. We are praying hard for the entire family during this difficult time. Please know that we love you and are always here for you. Sean, I love you so much, and we will miss you dearly.”
Patrick Swayze died in 2009 at the age of 57 from pancreatic cancer.
The siblings grew up in Houston, Texas. Their father, Jesse, was a Texas state champion cowboy, while their mother, Patsy was a choreographer who ran a dance academy.
Their childhood was reportedly difficult due to the demands that his perfectionist mother placed on the children.
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“Our mother made us feel that we were never good enough,” Patrick once said. “If I did anything, I had to be the best because that’s what my mother expected of me. It was hard to deal with. All the love we got came from our father.”
In 1994, the family was deeply affected by the suicide of Vicky, who had battled with depression.
“The only thing you can do in those circumstances is to find some kind of meaning,” Patrick said later. “You have to take that moment and make a promise to yourself that you will honour the spirit of the person you have lost for as long as you live. I have made my life better so Vicky’s death doesn’t seem quite so pointless.”
