Patrick Swayze’s only wife, Lisa Niemi, stood by his side throughout his battle with stage 4 cancer for nearly a year. She later struggled with accepting her second husband’s marriage proposal until she dreamt of Patrick giving her his blessing.
Lisa Niemi is an actress, director, and a former member of additional crews on productions. However, she is best known for her marriage to her first husband and fellow actor, Patrick Swayze.
Lisa Niemi and Patrick Swayze pose for a portrait in New York, in May 1987 | Source: Getty Images
The Houston, Texas-born actress married Patrick, also a producer, on June 12, 1975. He passed away on September 14, 2009, at age 57, after a battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
At the time, his representative shared, “Patrick Swayze passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months.” Alongside being a devoted husband, the late actor was a talented dancer, a romantic lead in movies, and a lover of the outdoors.
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It was reported that he spent his last days with his wife and brother, Don, at his ranch in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains near Los Angeles. Thirteen years after his passing, his widow reflected on their relationship.
Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi at the Society of Singers’ Second Ella Awards in Beverly Hills, California, on December 3, 1990 | Source: Getty Images
How the Couple Fell in Love and Maintained Their Marriage
During an April 2023 interview, it was revealed that Patrick, also born in Houston, met Lisa at his mother Patsy’s dance studio, where he was also a student. At the time, Lisa was 15 years old, and Patrick became her first dance partner.
After becoming a couple, they lived together on their California horse ranch, where they shared 34 years of marriage. Lisa and her first husband also co-starred in movies and were happy until his cancer diagnosis.
When asked about their love story, the actress shared that they began cautiously because Patrick had a reputation as a “Casanova,” while she was a “quiet bad girl.” Their first interaction was when he pinched her bottom at the dance classes and said, “Hey cutie.”
Their connection deepened when they danced for the first time at a high school auditorium. Patrick gently extended his hand, and when Lisa placed hers in his and they looked at each other, they shared a spark. “Incredible magic happened at that moment,” she recalled.
Lisa Niemi and Patrick Swayze dancing during the World Music Awards on May 4, 1994, in Monte Carlo, Monaco | Source: Getty Images
Despite their reputations, they got to know each other, grew close, and fell in love. The actress figured they got their reputations because they were different from everyone else, something they understood about each other.
Lisa was 18, and Patrick was 23 when they married. Addressing how they managed challenges in their famous marriage, she admitted that while things sometimes got tough and they’d fight, they “always hung in there.”
His fame never overshadowed Lisa because he always prioritized her and always made his wife feel like the most important person in the world. She explained that he refused to let bodyguards exclude her and insisted on her close presence.
He also demanded that people treat her with the same respect he received. In one instance, when someone put a coat over Lisa to focus on Patrick, he insisted that they treat her equally. This attitude made Lisa feel “always feel important and loved.”
Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi at the 61st Academy Awards in Los Angeles, on March 29th 1989 | Source: Getty Images
In another interview, when asked how they maintained their marriage, Lisa humorously quoted someone saying, “‘The way that you stay married for a long time is you don’t get divorced.’” She added that they stayed put, noted that love is essential, and they “never gave up on each other.”
Reflecting on their final days together, Lisa expressed regret that they were “so busy being positive” and hoping for miracles that they didn’t discuss their fears or stress. “I would’ve wanted to talk with him more. But there’s no doubt that I was doing the best that I knew how,” she admitted.
Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi at Jon Stewart’s performance at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino’s Grand Opening Weekend on November 16, 2007, in Las Vegas, Nevada | Source: Getty Images
The actress shared how much she missed everythig about him, from his presence to their conversations. She missed talking to him but knew he was with her in spirit. The star also realized that she had neglected her own well-being during his illness, which led to years of suppressed emotions.
After Patrick’s death, Lisa sought trauma treatment to address the toll his illness had taken on her. She now advocates for caregivers to prioritize their health, emphasizing that self-care is vital when supporting loved ones through illness, noting, “It’s the worst thing in the world to go through.”
Lisa recalled that their time together during his illness was both precious and painful. “You spend every day fighting for that person’s life. I know that he spent every day fighting for his own…He survived 22 months, which was miraculous with the diagnosis that he received,” she said.
Even before he got sick, despite his fame the couple isolated themselves on their ranch, finding comfort in each other’s company and their animals. The star revealed that Patrick’s favorite place was their New Mexico ranch, where they often retreated.
Lisa reveaeld that if her late husband could’ve chosen to be anywhere, it would be on their New Mexico ranch. The couple both had pilot licences and a plane with which they flew back and forth to Los Angeles, but she struggled to get him back there because he prefered their home.
After bringing Patrick home from the hospital, his condition quickly worsened. He slipped into a semi-coma before fully slipping away late one Friday night.
Lisa cherished their last moments, holding his hand, talking to him, sleeping with her arm around him, listening to music, leaning her head on his shoulder, and sitting in silence. On Monday morning, she noticed his delicate breaths and realized, “It was time.”
She continued, “I didn’t want to leave the room. I was afraid that suddenly I’d be afraid.” The actress held his hand and felt his dying pulse as he passed away at 10 a.m. Their final words to each other were, “I love you.” She’s since made it her job to keep his legacy alive.
Honoring Patrick’s Memory
Lisa has dedicated herself to preserving Patrick’s legacy. She called him a “hero,” praising his many talents, including flying and jumping out of planes, riding horses, and starring in iconic films like “Dirty Dancing,” “Ghost,” and “Point Break.”
While she occasionally watches his movies, Lisa admitted they catch her off guard. She still cries during certain scenes in “Ghost” and loves his line in “Point Break,” “‘Adios, amigo,’” which she says embodies his adventurous spirit.
At a Stand Up To Cancer event, Patrick spoke determinedly about fighting his diagnosis. Lisa revealed they considered themselves “realistic optimists” and vowed to do their best despite the odds.
Her late husband fought courageously for months, which his widow described as a testament to his resilience. He knew more about his diagnosis than his wife when he was first diagnosed. When he heard what he had he turned to his wife and declared, “I’m a dead man.”
But knowing that there was hope, the couple vowed to fight at their best and hoped he’d be one of those that made it. Patrick survived for months, fighting heroicly, with Lisa saying, “Every moment that he was on this planet for those 22 months… was worth every bit of fight.”
As someone who is carrying on with the fight as a legacy to her late husband, Lisa liked saying, “Cancer took him, it didn’t beat him.” To continue his fight, she founded the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) to advocate for pancreatic cancer research funding.
However, she’s moved on romantically, building another love story.
Finding Love Again
Lisa had another chance at life and love after losing her first husband. Four years after losing Patrick, she had already started dating jeweler Albert DePrisco and was almost ready to marry again. The pair met through mutual friends.
The actress confessed, “I have to say, that the love I have for Patrick was never in conflict or competition with my feelings for Albert. That is until Albert asked me to marry him!” When he proposed, accepting it was “a leap of faith” for Lisa.
Albert DePrisco and Lisa Niemi at a book signing event at DePrisco Jewelers in Wellesley on November 30, 2013 | Source: Getty Images
She struggled with having been married to Patrick for 34 years, and feeling married, and in private she went back and forth with the matter. The jeweler knew she still loved and would always love her first husband, telling her, “‘And I know you love me, and I love you.’”
While processing the changes she’d undergo, he doubts lessened and she became more sure. Lisa noted that her love for her first husband didn’t conflict with the one she now shares with Albert. Just because Patrick is gone, it didn’t mean she’d fallen out of love with him.
A wise friend of hers explained the phenominon, “‘That’s because love comes from the same well.” She an Albert, a widower, felt they still had a lot of love to give and finally found someone to give it to.
Albert went through a difficult divorce and was left wounded while Lisa was mourning her husband’s death when they met. The actress revealed that if they’d met before the three year period after her husband’s death, their relationship wouldn’t have happened.
The star said, “I didn’t realize how lonely I was until much much later because I’m a buckup kind of girl. I can take it.” She’d convinced herself that it wasn’t loneliness she was feeling and that she was just dealing with grief.
However, she was grateful when Albert came into her life. But, she chastised herself for forgetting Patrick because he was still with her, albeit not physically, she still felt him, and they had a relationship.
What was unsual to her was how falling for Albert didn’t change what she felt for her first husband. Her philosophy is “just because you lose a loved one doesn’t mean you stop loving and don’t have that love to give.”
While weighing whether she should marry Albert or not, Lisa dreamt Patrick ressuracted in a courtyard. Usually when she dreamt of him, he could never speak but she understood him regardless, but this time he came to her and put his arms around her.
Then she noted how she couldn’t marry Albert because Patrick was back, but the late actor looked at her and the words that came to her changed her persepctive. He said, “‘I know you love me, this has nothing to do with it.”
Patrick Swayze let her know marrying Albert didn’t change what they felt for each other or their relationship. That was his way of giving her his blessing. One thing going through her first husband’s battle with cancer taught her was that the love they shared is what was important.
Lisa, born on May 26, 1956, was about to turn 58 when she married Albert in 2014. They tied the knot on a Sunday on May 25 with more than 50 family and friends gathered to witness their union. The couple is still happily married.
