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Inside Patrick Swayze and wife Lisa Niemi’s touching 35-year relationship
25 February 2025, 15:38
The Dirty Dancing actor was married to professional dancer and actress Lisa Niemi from 1975 until his death in 2009.
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Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi enjoyed a love 35 years strong, despite the fact the Dirty Dancing star passed away aged just 57.
The childhood sweethearts shared a special bond which Lisa continues to speak fondly of to this day.
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“Just because somebody's gone doesn't end your relationship with them,” she told Today in 2023.
Here’s everything to know about Patrick and Lisa’s beautiful bond, from their first meeting to their last moments together, and how Lisa has kept Patrick in her life all this time.
Who is Patrick Swayze’s widow Lisa Niemi Swayze?
Lisa Niemi, sometimes also known as Lisa Niemi Swayze, is an actress, writer, director, choreographer and former professional dancer from Houston, Texas.
Born on May 26, 1956, the 66-year-old is best known for her many collaborations with her famous husband, which include the pair’s 2003 film One Last Dance.
The duo also worked together on one episode of Patrick’s last project, TV’s action-thriller The Beast, an episode of which Lisa directed.
Both Lisa and Patrick were also licensed pilots who often flew together over the years.
How did Patrick Swayze meet his wife Lisa Niemi?
Patrick Swayze met Lisa Niemi at his mother Patsy’s dance studio when the pair were both teenagers.
However, as Lisa told the Amy and TJ podcast in 2024, the pair were told “to stay away from each other” at first due to both of their reputations.
“He had a kind of reputation as a Casanova; I had a reputation as a bad girl,” Lisa explained, amused.
But the pair’s chemistry couldn’t be held back, and after graduating from high school Lisa joined Patrick (four years her senior) in New York at the Joffrey Ballet, where they began a relationship at last.
When did Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi get married?
Patrick and Lisa married on June 12, 1975, when Lisa was 19 and Patrick was 23.
The pair continued their dancing careers in New York in the mid-70s, before eventually moving to LA.
Patrick Swayze & Wife Dancing At World Music Awards 1994
Patrick and Lisa starred in several films together, including 1987’s Steel Dawn and 2004’s Beat Angel, and Lisa was around while Patrick was filming Dirty Dancing to help the actor practise all his dance scenes with another pro.
The married couple also wrote a play together based on their experiences as dancers working in New York.
Without a Word won several Drama Critics Awards, and in 2003 the couple released a film, One Last Dance, based on their work, which was directed and written by Lisa and starred her and her husband in its lead roles.
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Did Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi have children?
No, Patrick and Lisa did not have children.
Lisa suffered a miscarriage in the 90s, and in the 2009 autobiography Patrick co-wrote along with his wife, the actor opened up about the couple’s grief, detailing how the pair “wept bitterly” after being informed about their loss.
Lisa told The Express having a child was one of the couple’s “biggest goals in life” but something which sadly didn’t work out for the pair.
“I don’t know why it didn’t work out and I regret we never investigated our chances further with fertility doctors,” she added.
However, the pair did enjoy life together with their many horses and other animals which they kept on the ranches they owned in California and New Mexico.
How did Patrick Swayze die?
Patrick Swayze died on September 14, 2009, from pancreatic cancer.
The actor was diagnosed with the stage IV disease in January 2008, and received several treatments during his 20-month battle against his cancer.
In her 2011 memoir Worth Fighting For, Lisa revealed her last words to Patrick – who passed away with his wife at his bedside – were ‘I love you’, and, she added, “those were his last words to me.”
Since Patrick's diagnosis, Lisa has been a passionate campaigner for pancreatic cancer awareness and has been involved in many charity fundraisers for cancer research.
Did Patrick Swayze’s wife Lisa remarry after his death?
Yes, Lisa Niemi has remarried following the passing of her first husband.
In 2014, the former dancer married jeweller Albert DePrisco in Palm Beach, Florida, after the pair met through mutual friends around two years prior.
Speaking with People about her decision to remarry, Lisa explained: “The love I have for Patrick was never in conflict or competition with my feelings for Albert.”
Speaking on the Amy and T.J. Podcast in 2024, Lisa explained that that she and Albert talked closely about her continued dedication to her first husband ahead of their engagement.
“I said [to Albert]: ‘Does it bother you that I still love Patrick?’ He says, ‘No, honey. I know you love him and I know you’d love me. And I’m here to love you now.’”
Still, Lisa reflected that she “got a lot of flack” about her remarriage from some Patrick fans.
“There are some pretty rabid Patrick fans out there who think I'm evil. You just learn to deal with it and move on,” she said.
Lisa feels confident Patrick would have supported her decision to remarry to Albert, and even told Amy and TJ about how she had a dream where Patrick supported her in her decision.
“He came up to me and he put his arms around me and I was like, ‘I can’t marry Albert’... And he just looked at me. What his words came to me were, ‘No, I know you love me. This has nothing to do with it.’”
