Patrick Swayze’s younger brother, Sean Swayze, has died. He was 63.
Sean’s son, Jesse, confirmed to TMZ on Wednesday, January 7, that his father died late last month in Los Angeles.
A death certificate obtained by the outlet confirmed that Sean suffered an acute upper gastrointestinal bleed and severe metabolic acidosis brought on by cirrhosis of the liver, which according to the Cleveland Clinic, is often caused by frequent alcohol use.
In addition to Jesse, Sean is survived by his kids, Cassie and Kyle, as well as brother Don Swayze.
One of Sean’s cousins, Rachel Leon, has since paid tribute to his memory.
“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,” Leon wrote via Instagram in December 2025. “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.”
Leon continued, “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 [Sean’s] children. 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 was a famed actor, best known for his starring roles in Dirty Dancing and Ghost. He died in September 2009 at the age of 54 after battling pancreatic cancer.
“Patrick Swayze passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months,” the actor’s rep told Us Weekly in a statement at the time.
Patrick had been diagnosed with cancer less than one year earlier.
“I am one of the lucky ones with pancreatic cancer that is responding well to the treatment,” Patrick said in a March 2009 statement. “There is a brand new, 12-week old, Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy named Kumasai in my life, who is gorgeous and already showing that he will be one special dog. I have so much to be thankful for at this time.”
The next month, Patrick’s Ghost costar Whoopi Goldberg told Us Weekly that he was “doing the best he can.”
“He’s kicking butt,” Goldberg, now 70, exclusively told Us in April 2009. “You know, he’s sick, and he, like the rest of us, doesn’t know when it’s going to happen — because it will happen, that he is going to go — but he doesn’t know when or where. His attitude is, ‘Why wait for it to happen?’ So he’s busy as hell.”
Patrick was survived by his wife, Lisa Niemi, and his siblings. In addition to Sean and Don, the brothers also have an adopted sister named Bambi. The Swayzes’ parents, Patsy and Jesse Wayne Swayze, are both deceased.
