The lesser-known Patrick Swayze

The world knows the Patrick Swayze who redefined dance with Dirty Dancing, so here is a look at his personal life. (Photo: AP)

Unlike the trend in Hollywood, Patrick Swayze's name was romantically linked to only one woman - Lisa Niemi, his wife. (Photo: AP)

Swayze met Lisa Niemi when he was 18 and she was 14, and in 1975, four years before his Hollywood career took off, the two got married. (Photo: AP)

Swayze is among those rare stars who remained married to one woman all his life. The couple, however, had no kids. (Photo: AP)

In 1991, Patrick Swayze was named The Sexiest Man Alive by People magazine. (Photo: AP)

Despite legendary films like Dirty Dancing and Ghost, Swayze remained Oscar-less, in fact he was never even nominated. Meanwhile, his Ghost co-star Whoopi Goldberg won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance in that film. (Photo: AFP)

Patrick Swayze was given an Independent Career Achievement award in 2005. (Photo: AFP)

There was a dark phase in Swayze's life in the early 1980s when his father died at the age of 52. A few years later his sister committed suicide leading Swayze to alcoholism which had already taken seed after his father's death. By the mid-90s, he sought help to overcome his drinking. (Photo: AFP)

In an attempt to get over his alcoholism, Swayze withdrew from showbiz and spent time breeding horses. His best-known horse was Tammen, a chestnut Arabian stallion. (Photo: AFP)

In 1997, a star was made on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Patrick Swayze's name. Fans kept flowers on his star to mourn his death on September 14, 2009. (Photo: AP)

In January 2008, Swayze was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He underwent treatment for nearly two years, and continued to work during that period despite failing health, before finally succumbing to death on September 14, 2009. (Photo: AP)