Daily Loaf

Patrick Swayze, star of hit films like Ghost and Dirty Dancing, died Monday, September 14 after a drawn-out struggle with pancreatic cancer.

Swayze first became a superstar after 1987’s Dirty Dancing. He followed it just two years later with the barroom action-adventure stomper, Road House, and the Academy Award-winning Ghost in 1990. He also starred in a number of cult favorites, including John Milius’s Red Dawn and Richard Kelly’s 2001 dark indie drama, Donnie Darko.

“[Swayze] passed away peacefully today with family at his side after facing the challenges of his illness for the last 20 months,” said a statement by his publicist, Annett Wolf. No further comments were made.

Outside of his film career, Swayze was a known environmental activist. He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Niemi.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is undergoing surgery today for what is reported to be early-stage pancreatic cancer. The New York Times reports that the 5-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is low, due to the difficulties in early detection, but in Ginsburg’s case the cancer was discovered early so her prognosis may be more hopeful.

Obama voters no doubt have been waiting for the president to get an opportunity to appoint a justice. If it’s Ginsburg he has to replace, however, it’s a wash; she is one of the reliably liberal voices on the Court.

Update: NPR court expert Nina Totenberg reported today that if the Obama administration does have to replace Ginsburg, the nominee will undoubtedly be a woman. The short list, she said, is likely to include Harvard Law School Dean and Solicitor General nominee Elena Kagan, U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Sonia Sotomayor and Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, among others.