Sean Swayze, the younger brother of the famous actor Patrick Swayze, has passed away while battling alcoholic liver cirrhosis. He was 63 years old.
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Sean’s son, Jesse Swayne, confirmed the news, telling TMZ that Sean died on Dec. 15 near Los Angeles.
According to records obtained by the Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s Office, Patrick Swayze’s brother died from an acute upper gastrointestinal bleed and severe metabolic acidosis. All of which was brought on by cirrhosis of the liver, which is severe scarring caused by alcoholism.
The documents also showed that Sean was a “Teamster” in the entertainment industry before his death.
Sean and Patrick’s cousin, Rachel Leon, spoke out about the death in an Instagram post.
“I’m heartbroken to share that my cousin Sean Swayze passed away today,” she wrote while sharing a photo of him wearing a shirt honoring his famous brother. “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.”
Rachel further shared, “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’s Brother Died 16 Years After the Famous Actor’s Death
Sean Swayze’s death occurred more than 16 years after his famous brother’s death from pancreatic cancer at 57.
The late actor’s widow, Lisa, and the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network paid tribute to him in an emotional Instagram post last fall.
“When Patrick was diagnosed, the statistics were grim,” she shared. “Median survival: three to six months. Five-year survival: nine percent. Startling information, huh? It was beyond depressing. But every ounce of energy we had was gonna go into helping him live.”
She also said, “When he first found out he had pancreatic cancer, he turned to me and said, ‘I’m a dead man.’ But soon after, on a walk at our New Mexico ranch, he held my hand and said, ‘I want to live.’ That’s who Patrick was.”
Lisa further shared that she decided she would be who her late husband needed her to be at that time. “I could cry, I could fall apart, I could panic — later. But not now. Cancer doesn’t happen to just one person… it sets out to kill those who love that person a little bit, too.”
Describing Patrick as a hero, Lisa noted, “You give him a sword, a cape, and a horse, and he’s a happy man — and when it came to fighting his illness, you really saw his courage.
While pancreatic cancer may have taken him in the end, it never beat him. Just because he’s gone doesn’t mean this fight is over. I will continue it for him.”
Patrick and Lisa were married from 1975 until Patrick’s death in 2009. They didn’t have any children.