Fraser may refer to:

Places[link]

Australia[link]

• Fraser, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb in the Canberra district of Belconnen
• The Division of Fraser, an electoral division in the northern Australian Capital Territory
• Fraser Island, along the coast of Queensland

Canada[link]

• Fraser River
  • Fraser Plateau, a subplateau of the Interior Plateau, named for the river
  • Fraser Basin, a low-lying area, part of the Nechako Plateau, flanking the Fraser River in the Central Interior of British Columbia
  • Fraser Canyon, the stretch of the Fraser River from the city of Williams Lake south to the town of Hope, British Columbia
  • Fraser Valley, the region flanking the lowermost reaches of the Fraser River, from the town of Hope to the sea
  • Fraser Plateau and Basin complex, a World Wildlife Fund-named ecoregion in the Central Interior of British Columbia
• Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia
• Alex Fraser Bridge, between Delta and Richmond, British Columbia
• Fraser Mills, British Columbia, a neighbourhood of the city of Coquitlam, British Columbia
• Fraser Heights, British Columbia, a neighbourhood of the city of Surrey, British Columbia
• Fraser Valley Regional District, British Columbia, a para-municipal body encompassing the eastern half of the Fraser Valley region and a portion of the lower Fraser Canyon
• Regional District of Fraser-Cheam, a former para-municipal body encompassing the Upper Fraser Valley and parts of the Fraser Canyon, now part of the Fraser Valley Regional District
• Central Fraser Valley Regional District, a former para-municipal body encompassing the central portion of the Fraser Valley region, now part of the Fraser Valley Regional District
• Regional District of Fraser-Fort George, a para-municipal body encompassing the area of the city of Prince George, British Columbia, and the upper valley of the Fraser River southeast of there
• Fraser River Provincial Park, a park on the west bank of the Fraser River northwest of Hixon, British Columbia, to the south of the city of Prince George
• Fraser Island 6, properly known as Fraser River Indian Reserve No. 6, located on the island of the same name at Becher Bay, British Columbia, near the city of Victoria
• Fraser Range, a small mountain range north of Nugent Sound on the Central Coast of British Columbia
• Fraser Lake, a lake in the Central Interior of British Columbia
• Fraser Lake, British Columbia, originally Fort Fraser, a village in the Central Interior of British Columbia named for the lake
• Fraser Lake 2, properly Fraser Lake Indian Reserve No. 2, an Indian Reserve of the Dakelh people on the lake

United States[link]

• Fraser, Colorado
• Fraser, Idaho
• Fraser, Iowa
• Fraser, Michigan, in Macomb County
• Fraser Township, Michigan, in Bay County
• Fraser Township, Minnesota
• Fraser, New York (disambiguation), various places

People[link]

• Fraser (surname)
• the Fraser River Indians, also known as the Fraser River Salish, are now known as the Sto:lo and neighbouring groups

Other uses[link]

• Bethel School District v. Fraser, a US legal case
• Fraser and Neave, a Singapore-based business group
• Fraser syndrome, an autosomal recessive congenital disorder
• Fraser Herald, title of a Canadian Heraldic Authority officer of arms
• Fraser Fir, a tree (Abies fraseri)
• Fraser Institute, a free-market think tank

See also[link]

• Fraser alphabet
• Frazier (disambiguation)
• Frazer (disambiguation)
• Frasier (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Brooke Fraser
Background information
Birth name	Brooke Gabrielle Fraser
Born	(1983-12-15) 15 December 1983 (age 28) Wellington, New Zealand
Origin	Wellington, New Zealand
Genres	Pop, folk rock
Years active	2002–present
Labels	Sony Music, Wood + Bone
Associated acts	Hillsong
Website	www.brookefraser.com

Brooke Gabrielle Fraser Ligertwood, better known as Brooke Fraser (born 15 December 1983) is a New Zealand born award-winning folk-pop and Christian music^[1][2] artist. Her third studio album Flags has become the most successful album of her career, with the single "Something in the Water" reaching number one on the RIANZ singles chart in 2010.

Early life[link]

Fraser is the eldest of the three children born to former All Black Bernie Fraser,^[3] who was born in Lautoka, Fiji, and his wife Lynda Fraser.^[4] She grew up in Naenae, Lower Hutt and attended Dyer Street School, Naenae Intermediate School and Naenae College.^[5]

Fraser took piano lessons between the ages of seven and seventeen. She started writing songs at age twelve and taught herself the acoustic guitar at fifteen. Despite her skills as a singer she has never taken singing lessons.^[5]

She performed at Parachute, an annual New Zealand music festival in 2000 – including a special guest performance in 2007.^[5]

She began writing for the Soul Purpose magazine at age fifteen, and was later made editor in 2002. She gave up her job as editor shortly after moving to Auckland in late 2002 in order to pursue her music career.^[6]

Musical career[link]

In 2002, while Fraser was in Auckland, Scotty Pearson, the drummer for Elemeno P, organised a meeting with producer Matty J for her. Matty J became her manager, liaising with the major labels who had shown interest and compared their offers. Fraser had about five different labels offer her deals and chose to sign a multi-album deal with Sony Music at the age of 17.^[7]

[edit] What to Do With Daylight

Fraser's first album, What to Do with Daylight, was released in New Zealand in late 2003, debuting at number one and achieved gold status in the same week. The album eventually went seven times platinum,^[8] selling over 105,000 copies in New Zealand alone.^[9] It remained on the album charts for sixty-six weeks.^[10] All five singles from the album reached the top twenty in the New Zealand Singles Chart.^[11] Her album also topped the New Zealand Top 50 Albums of 2004.^[12]

Following the release of What to Do with Daylight, Fraser toured Australia and New Zealand with American artist John Mayer and then toured New Zealand with veteran U.K. rock artist David Bowie.^[13][14] Whilst on tour with John Mayer, she met with his guitarist and keyboardist Michael Chaves who, after recording Mayer's album Heavier Things, Fraser enlisted to play on her album and future concerts.^[15]

[edit] Albertine

In 2005, prior to writing and preparing her follow-up album, Fraser took a trip to Africa to immerse herself in Rwanda before visiting her sponsor children in Tanzania, as she is an advocate for child sponsorship. In this trip, she was so moved that she wrote the song Albertine about a young child (named Albertine), whom she met while in Rwanda. It was later decided to make this song the album's title track.^[16]

Fraser performing in Seattle, 8 December 2010

For the second album, Fraser decided to enlist a new band, primarily constructed from American musicians who'd worked with an array of notable artists, both live and recorded.^[17] In 2006, Fraser and the band went into the studio in Los Angeles to record the album. Later Fraser allowed her fans to listen to the album's first single Deciphering Me via her MySpace page. The single was later released initially to radio and ultimately to CD single, and achieved number four in the New Zealand single charts.

On 4 December 2006 Albertine was released in New Zealand, achieving double platinum status less than a month after its release and has remained, to date, in the top 20 every week since. The album was released in Australia and internationally on 31 March 2007. In Australia, it charted at number twenty-nine in its first week on 9 April and has thus far achieved Gold sales status.

On 6 April 2007, Fraser performed "Deciphering Me" for the Good Friday Appeal, an annual televised fundraising event to raise money for the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne.

In 2008, Fraser appeared on the Dave Barnes song "Believe" from his album Me + You + the World, performing backing vocals.

Albertine was also Fraser's U.S. debut, released 27 May 2008 and entered the Billboard 200 at number ninety on 19 July 2008. Her album propelled in success with online sales after being chosen as Editor's Choice on iTunes. On 4 July 2008 Fraser supported Canadian artist/U2 collaborator Daniel Lanois at the Montreal Jazz Festival. In August she toured the southern U.S.^[18] In September, she re-toured several major U.S. cities and completed the tour at the Shepherd's Bush Empire in London, UK.

[edit] Flags

Flags was recorded at East West Studios in Hollywood in the summer of 2010 ^[19] and released by Wood & Bone Records on 12 October 2010. Fraser celebrated with sold-out tours in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand. Flags reached the #1 spot on the New Zealand album chart,^[20] #3 in Australia,^[21] and entered at #59 on the Billboard 200 in the US,^[22] and climbed as high as #3 on the U.S iTunes album chart. "Flags" has been certified Gold in Australia and 3x Platinum in New Zealand where it was the 6th highest selling album of 2010.^[23] The first single, “Something in the Water,” has achieved extensive radio success across the globe, notably receiving BBC Radio 2 A-list rotation upon release.^[24] The single has gone on to achieve double platinum sales in NZ where it spent 21 weeks in the 2010 singles chart.^[25] The single has reached #2 in the Dutch airplay chart whilst residing in the top 5 singles chart for 6 consecutive weeks.^[26] The single has charted in Poland and Belgium at #15 and #23 respectively,^[27] as well as being certified Gold in both Germany and Italy.^[28] Flags was released in July 2011 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and debuted in the following positions: #6 in Germany, #33 in Austria & #24 in Switzerland. One month on from release, "Flags" remained in the German top 20 at #13 and "Something in the Water" on the singles charts at #8. "Flags" was released in October 2011 in Hungary, reaching #15 on the national album chart by 2nd week of release.^[29] Flags is due to be released in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland on 7 November 2011.^[27] Flags has received accolades from peers and press alike. Sara Bareilles announced to her 2 million followers on Twitter "If you don’t know her, you should. @brookefraser is a freakin gem. New album out now. Yay." and Women’s Wear Daily has called Brooke "The Kiwi Norah Jones."^[30][31]

In its review of Flags, Glide Magazine said: "Brooke Fraser’s third release, Flags, is a wonder. From the stunning lyrical imagery throughout to the impressive guest vocalists who join her (Cary Brothers, Jon Foreman and Aqualung among them), from Fraser’s ethereal and breathy performances to the wide-ranging soundscapes, this record is drenched in beauty and stands as one of the more remarkable achievements of 2010."^[32]

In support of "Flags" release in Switzerland, Brooke will be appearing in November 2011 at the “ENERGY STARS FOR FREE” event in Zurich alongside Lenny Kravitz and Snow Patrol.^[33]

Personal life[link]

After the success of her first album, Fraser moved to Sydney, where she has lived since 2004. On 17 March 2008 she married Scott Ligertwood, in Sydney, changing her name to Brooke Ligertwood.^[34] "Brooke Fraser" has remained her stage name for her activity as a Sony BMG recording/touring artist. She continues to write songs for Hillsong Church, now as "Brooke Ligertwood". Among her notable congregational songs are "Desert Song" and "Hosanna". After touring her second album Albertine for almost 4 years, Fraser returned home to Sydney. She took almost a year off from music-making. After attending the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in the US and seeing Fleet Foxes ^[35] set she was inspired to work on her latest album Flags.^[36]

Fraser also runs a blog from her website where she comments on everything from touring, to fashion and food.^[37]

Philanthropy[link]

Fraser has enjoyed success in her career for many years, and she has always used her position to highlight many worthy causes and charity projects, and raising large amounts of money for them in the process. In late 2010 whilst on tour in the U.S. promoting her third album Flags, Fraser, in conjunction with charity: water ran a birthday campaign asking her fans to donate $27 in honor of her 27th birthday. The goal was to raise $50,000 to build clean water wells in Ethiopia.^[38] Joining the likes of Justin Bieber,^[39] Will Smith^[40] and Adam Lambert^[41] Fraser's birthday campaign was a success raising over $54,000. She has vowed to continue her work with charity: water on future projects.

Fraser has worked with World Vision as an Artist Associate since 2001. She has visited Cambodia and Tanzania with World Vision, the Philippines with Opportunity International and independently traveled to Rwanda in June 2005, in June 2006 as part of charity event "Hope Rwanda", and in May 2007 when she filmed the music video for the song "Albertine" off her second studio album of the same name. In 2006 she, along with Petra Bagust and Tau from Spacifix, appeared in an advertisement for the World Vision 40 Hour Famine; an event which raises funds for children in third world countries. She also sponsors eleven children through World Vision^[42] and makes child ways of contributing to the work of World Vision (i.e. fundraising t-shirts etc.).

Discography[link]

Studio albums

• What to Do with Daylight (2003)
• Albertine (2006)
• Flags (2010)

Awards and nominations[link]

APRA Awards

New Zealand Music Awards

GMA Dove Awards

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Brooke Fraser

• Official Brooke Fraser website
• Brooke Fraser at Allmusic
• Brooke Fraser on Myspace
• New Zealand Herald article

Elizabeth Davidson Fraser (born 29 August 1963) is a Scottish singer best known as the vocalist for the pioneer alternative rock group Cocteau Twins. Described by critic Jason Ankeny as "an utterly unique performer whose swooping, operatic vocals relied less on any recognizable language than on the subjective sounds and textures of verbalized emotions,"^[1] Fraser's distinctive singing earned much critical praise. She was once described as "the voice of God."^[2] Fraser's lyrics range from straight forward English to semi-comprehensible sentences and abstract mouth music. For some recordings, she used foreign words without knowing what they meant – the words acquired meaning for her only as she sung them. ^[3] Fraser has a soprano vocal range.^[4] She is as well known for her voice as her perfectionism and reclusive nature. ^[5]

Music career[link]

Fraser and Cocteau Twins[link]

Fraser was the vocalist and lyricist in Cocteau Twins, a group founded in 1981 by Robin Guthrie and Will Heggie. At the time, she was 17 years old, and had never thought of herself as a singer. Guthrie and Heggie noticed her dancing at a club one night, and asked her to join their band.^[6] After an on-off phase, the band recorded some tracks which were sent as demos to John Peel and Ivo Watts-Russell of 4AD which led to their being signed by the London-based label and a successful career in music.^[7] Fraser and Guthrie formed a relationship, and had a daughter, Lucy Belle, in 1989. Guthrie liberally used drugs and alcohol throughout the years they were together,^[8] and Fraser suffered a nervous breakdown during the recording of Four-Calendar Café.^[9] The couple broke up in 1992, still opting to continue a musical relationship until 1998, when Cocteau Twins were disbanded.

Fraser had an intense personal relationship with singer Jeff Buckley ^[10] and recorded a duet with him, "All Flowers In Time Bend Towards The Sun", written by Buckley but never released commercially. Perhaps surprisingly for someone reportedly very shy, she speaks candidly about their relationship in the BBC documentary, Jeff Buckley: Everybody Here Wants You.^[11]

Cocteau Twins were due to perform for the North American Coachella Festival on 30 April 2005, but cancelled on 16 March 2005.^[12] The decision to cancel was taken by Fraser reportedly because of the emotional distress it caused her. Her former Cocteau Twins bandmate Simon Raymonde has since talked publicly about the decision saying that while he respected it, he regretted not being able to walk away with "£1.5 million ($2.5 million) tax-free." ^[13] Fraser has not commented on what she would have been paid.

During the years of working as part of Cocteau Twins, Fraser also collaborated with numerous artists, appearing on 4AD house band This Mortal Coil's first release along with her bandmates where her notable contributions included a cover version of Tim Buckley's "Song to the Siren", and providing one-off vocals for acts such as Felt (Primitive Painters), Dif Juz (Extractions LP), the Future Sound of London (Lifeforms EP), the Wolfgang Press, Ian McCulloch and others.

Post-Cocteau Twins[link]

After the breakup of Cocteau Twins in 1998, Fraser continued to collaborate with a range of performers, including The Future Sound of London, Elliot Goldenthal, Craig Armstrong, Massive Attack (including extensive tours performing with the band in 2006), and Peter Gabriel's millennium project OVO.

She has subsequently contributed to the soundtracks of several films, such as, In Dreams, Cruel Intentions, The Winter Guest and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (also uncredited in the soundtrack of the Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition DVD), and has occasionally appeared as a guest artist on other musicians' projects. In 2005, she also participated in Yann Tiersen's album Les Retrouvailles. She sings in two pieces: "Kala" and "Mary".

Solo career[link]

Aside from the work with other artists, Fraser's solo career has been quiet. In 2000, a white label recording, Underwater, was released in a limited edition of only 200 copies. She contributed a cover version of "At Last I am Free" (originally by '70s band Chic, covered by Robert Wyatt) on the 2003 album Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before, a celebration of 25 year of Rough Trade Records.

In 2004, Fraser was invited to participate in a unique audio exhibit, "Shhh...", at London's Victoria and Albert Museum for which she produced a piece called "Expectant Mood", which has not been made commercially available.

Fraser reportedly signed to Blanco y Negro Records,^[14] but little is known about the progress of any recorded material.

In December 2006 New Music Express magazine reported that Elizabeth Fraser's solo album was due for release in early 2007. The album would have contained eight tracks, one of which was to be a cover version. No titles were announced and the album was never released. Its current status is unknown.

In November 2009 Fraser released a solo single, '"Moses", available on 12" and download through Rough Trade. The single was recorded some time ago with her partner of more than a decade – Massive Attack's drummer Damon Reece, and close friend Jake Drake-Brockman - and was a memorial to Jake Drake-Brockman.^[15][16]

In May 2012 in an exclusive report The Guardian confirmed that Elizabeth Fraser will play two dates as part of the Meltdown Festival at London's Southbank Centre in August 2012, curated by Antony Hegarty. ^[17] In that article, Fraser confirmed that she has assembled an album's worth of material and will showcase these at the event in addition to performing re-interpretations of some of the Cocteau Twins songs. Fraser also referred to the physical exertion involved in her singing against the wall of sound in many of the Cocteau Twins songs, of which she said it was "like an endurance test. I don't intend to do that again. I've been using my voice more gently." ^[18] Antony Hegarty referred to Fraser agreeing to perform as "unprecedented" and said further "that's going to be probably one of the centerpieces of the festival, Liz Fraser doing two nights. It's a really, really big deal." ^[19] Hegarty also described Fraser as one of the artists who "have used their platforms as cultural producers to challenge us . . . "^[20]

Website[link]

The official website Elizabethfraser.com was initially created by a fan, but was taken over by Fraser's management company on 22 March 2007. As of 30 November 2009 (2009 -11-30)^[update], the new site content is updated with news on the release for the new single "Moses".

Personal life[link]

Elizabeth Fraser was born in Grangemouth.^[21] She lives with her partner, musician Damon Reece (from the band Lupine Howl), in Bristol. She has two daughters, Lucy Belle Guthrie, her daughter by Robin Guthrie, and Lily, her daughter by Damon Reece.

Discography[link]

Main artist[link]

• Garlands (1982)
• Head over Heels (1983)
• Treasure (1984)
• Victorialand (1986)
• Blue Bell Knoll (1988)
• Heaven or Las Vegas (1990)
• Four-Calendar Café (1993)
• Milk and Kisses (1996)

Guest appearances[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce

Shelly-Ann Fraser
Personal information
Nationality	Jamaica
Born	(1986-12-27) December 27, 1986 (age 25) Kingston, Jamaica
Residence	Kingston, Jamaica
Height	1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)
Weight	52 kg (110 lb; 8.2 st)
Sport
Sport	Running
Event(s)	100 m
Club	MVP Track & Field Club
Medal record Women's athletics Competitor for  Jamaica Olympic Games Gold 2008 Beijing 100 m World Championships Gold 2009 Berlin 100 m Gold 2009 Berlin 4×100 m relay Silver 2011 Daegu 4×100 m relay Silver 2007 Osaka 4×100 m relay World Athletics Final Gold 2008 Stuttgart 100 metres Silver 2009 Thessaloniki 100 metres CARIFTA Games Junior (U20) Gold 2005 Bacolet, Tobago 4x100 m relay Bronze 2005 Bacolet, Tobago 100 m CAC Junior Championships (U17) Gold 2002 Bridgetown 4x100 m relay

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, OD (born December 27, 1986)^[1] is a Jamaican sprinter, who specializes in the 100 m. Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Fraser is the reigning Olympic champion over 100 m, clocking a time of 10.78.^[2] The 2009 World 100 m champion, she is only the second female sprinter to hold both World and Olympic 100 m titles simultaneously (after Gail Devers), and is tied with Christine Arron as the fourth fastest woman in history over 100 m.^[3] She attended the Wolmer's High School for Girls and represented her school in many athletic occasions.

2008 Beijing Olympics[link]

Fraser, who trained for the Olympics with teammate Asafa Powell, became the first Jamaican woman in history to win an Olympic gold medal in the 100 m sprint. In her first round heat, she placed first in a time of 11.35 to advance to the second round. She then improved her time to 11.06 seconds, finishing first in her heat. In the semifinals Fraser again finished in front, outsprinting Kerron Stewart and Muna Lee in 11.00 seconds.

In the final, Jamaican sprinters finished in the top three positions in the race, with a photographic tie for second place by Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart. (Both women were awarded silver medals; no bronze medal was awarded.) Fraser's time of 10.78 seconds was a personal best and 0.20 seconds faster than her Jamaican teammates.^[4] Fraser's Olympic time was the second-fastest 100 m ever recorded by a Jamaican woman, a mere 0.04 seconds (1/25 of a second) shy of Merlene Ottey's 10.74 record.^[1]

Together with Sheri-Ann Brooks, Aleen Bailey and Veronica Campbell-Brown, Fraser also took part in the 4 x 100 m relay. In its first round heat, Jamaica placed first in front of Russia, Germany and China. The Jamaica relay's time of 42.24 seconds was the first time overall out of sixteen participating nations. With this result, Jamaica qualified for the final, replacing Brooks and Bailey with Simpson and Stewart. Jamaica did not finish the race due to a mistake in the baton exchange.^[4]

2009 Berlin World Championships[link]

Fraser (right) celebrating victory in Berlin with Kerron Stewart

Fraser took the 100 m Jamaican title in June 2009, winning with a world-leading time of 10.88 s against a strong headwind (−1.5 m/s). This made her the number one Jamaican qualifier for the 2009 World Championships.^[5] Fraser took full advantage, holding off a late surge (and personal best) from compatriot Kerron Stewart, who had a slow start, to win by two one-hundredths of a second in a time of 10.73. – the fourth fastest time in the event's history and a Jamaican national record.

She later ran the second leg on the Jamaican 4x 100 m relay team. Fraser ran an outstanding back-straight, outrunning athletes like Chandra Sturrup of the Bahamas, Anne Mollinger of Germany and Kelly-Ann Baptiste of Trinidad and Tobago, with a successful change over to Aleen Bailey. The Jamaican team eventually claimed the gold medal in a time of 42.06 with the Bahamas claiming silver and Germany claiming bronze.

2010: Off-the-track[link]

Fraser was named as the first UNICEF National Goodwill Ambassador for Jamaica on February 22.^[6] On February 23, she was named Grace Goodwill Ambassador for Peace for 2010 in a partnership with Grace Foods and not-for-profit Organisation PALS (Peace and Love in Society).^[7][8] On May 23, at the Shanghai meet in the IAAF Diamond League, Fraser tested positive for a banned substance after using medication for toothache.^[9] In October 2010, she was subsequently suspended for six months.^[10]

Achievements[link]

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  Jamaica
2002	Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships (U-17)	Bridgetown, Barbados	4th	200 m	25.24   (-1.0 m/s)
			1st	4x100 m relay	45.33 CR
2005	CARIFTA Games (U-20)	Bacolet, Trinidad and Tobago	3rd	100 m	11.73   (0.9 m/s)
			1st	4x100 m relay	44.53
2007	World Championships	Osaka, Japan	2nd	4 x 100 metres relay	42.70 SB (heat)
2008	Olympic Games	Beijing, PR China	1st	100 metres	10.78   (0.0 m/s)
			DNF	4 x 100 metres relay
2009	World Championships	Berlin, Germany	1st	100 metres	10.73   (0.1 m/s)
			1st	4 x 100 metres relay	42.06
2011	World Championships	Daegu, Korea	4th	100 metres	10.99   (-1.4 m/s)
			2nd	4 x 100 metres relay	41.70 NR

References[link]

External links[link]

• IAAF profile for Shelly-Ann Fraser

Patrick Swayze
Swayze greeting fans after Guys and Dolls in 2006
Born	Patrick Wayne Swayze (1952-08-18)August 18, 1952 Houston, Texas, U.S.
Died	September 14, 2009(2009-09-14) (aged 57)[1] Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Pancreatic cancer
Nationality	American
Occupation	Actor, dancer, singer-songwriter
Years active	1978–2009
Spouse	Lisa Niemi (m. 1975–2009, his death)
Relatives	Don Swayze (brother)

Patrick Wayne Swayze ( /ˈsweɪziː/; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009)^[1] was an American actor, dancer and singer-songwriter. He was best known for his tough-guy roles, as romantic leading men in the hit films Dirty Dancing and Ghost, and as Orry Main in the North and South television miniseries. He was named by People magazine as its "Sexiest Man Alive" in 1991. His film and TV career spanned 30 years.

Diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer in January 2008, Swayze told Barbara Walters a year later that he was "kicking it".^[2] However, he died from the disease on September 14, 2009.^[3] His last role was the lead in an ill-fated A&E TV series, The Beast, which premiered on January 15, 2009. Due to a prolonged decline in health, Swayze was unable to promote the series. On June 15, 2009, Entertainment Tonight announced the show's cancellation.^[4]

Early life[link]

Patrick Swayze was born on August 18, 1952, in Houston, Texas, the second child of Patsy Yvonne Helen (née Karnes; born 1927), a choreographer, dance instructor, and dancer, and Jesse Wayne Swayze (1925–1982), an engineering draftsman.^[5][6][7] He had two younger brothers, actor Don Swayze (born 1958) and Sean Kyle (born 1962), and two sisters, Vickie Lynn (1949–1994) and Bambi.^[5][8] He was a sixth cousin once removed of news commentator John Cameron Swayze, and a relative of noted Texas Revolution soldier Henry Karnes.^[9] Swayze was raised Roman Catholic.^[10]

Until the age of twenty, Swayze lived in the Oak Forest neighborhood of Houston, where he attended St. Rose of Lima Catholic School,^[11] Oak Forest Elementary School,^[12] Black Middle School,^[12][13] and Waltrip High School.^[12] During this time, he also pursued multiple artistic and athletic skills, such as ice skating, classical ballet, and acting in school plays. He played football for his high school and was hoping to receive a football scholarship for college until a knee injury ended his career. He studied gymnastics at nearby San Jacinto College for two years.^{[citation needed]}

In 1972, he moved to New York City to complete his formal dance training at the Harkness Ballet and Joffrey ballet schools.

Career[link]

Swayze's first professional appearance was as a dancer for Disney on Parade. He then starred as a replacement playing the role of Danny Zuko in the long-running Broadway production of Grease^[14] before his debut film role as "Ace" in Skatetown, U.S.A.. He appeared as Pvt. Sturgis in the M*A*S*H episode "Blood Brothers"^[15] and had a brief stint in 1982 on a short lived TV series The Renegades^[16] playing a gang leader named Bandit. Swayze became known to the film industry after appearing in The Outsiders as the older brother of C. Thomas Howell and Rob Lowe. Swayze, Howell, and Howell's friend Darren Dalton reunited in Red Dawn the next year, and Lowe and Swayze reunited in Youngblood. He was considered a member of the Brat Pack.^[17] His first major success was in the 1985 television miniseries North and South, which was set during the American Civil War.^[18]

Swayze and Paula Abdul at the 1990 Grammy Awards

Swayze's breakthrough role came with his performance as dance instructor Johnny Castle in the 1987 film Dirty Dancing, alongside his Red Dawn co-star, Jennifer Grey. Dirty Dancing, a coming of age story, was a low-budget film that was intended to be shown in theaters for one weekend only and then go straight to video, but it became a surprise hit and achieved massive international success. It was the first film to sell one million copies on video, and as of 2009, it earned over $214 million worldwide and spawned several alternative versions, ranging from a television series to stage productions to a computer game. Swayze received a Golden Globe Award nomination for the role and also sang one of the songs on the soundtrack, "She's Like the Wind", which he had originally co-written with Stacy Widelitz for the film Grandview, U.S.A. The song became a top ten hit and has been covered by other artists.

After Dirty Dancing, Swayze found himself typecast and appeared in several flops, of which Road House was the most successful. His biggest hit came in 1990, when he starred in Ghost, with Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg.^[19] In 1991, he starred alongside Youngblood cast mate Keanu Reeves in another major action hit, Point Break, and was also chosen by People magazine as that year's "Sexiest Man Alive".

Swayze was seriously injured in 1998 while filming HBO's Letters from a Killer near Ione, California when he fell from a horse and hit a tree. Both of his legs were broken and he suffered four detached tendons in his shoulder. Filming was suspended for two months, but the film aired in 1999. Swayze recovered from his injuries, but he had trouble resuming his career until 2000, when he co-starred in Waking Up in Reno, with Billy Bob Thornton and Charlize Theron, and in Forever Lulu, with Melanie Griffith.

In 2001, he appeared in the cult classic Donnie Darko, where he played a famous motivational speaker revealed to be a closet pedophile, and in 2004, he played Allan Quartermain in King Solomon's Mines. He also had a cameo appearance in the Dirty Dancing sequel, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights as an unnamed dance instructor.

Swayze made his West End theatre début in the musical Guys and Dolls as Nathan Detroit on July 27, 2006,^[20][21][22] alongside Neil Jerzak, and remained in the role until November 25, 2006. His previous appearances on the Broadway stage had included productions of Goodtime Charley (1975)^[23] and Chicago.

Swayze also provided the voice for Cash the country music band dog in The Fox and the Hound 2 and in 2007 starred in the film Christmas in Wonderland. Swayze played an aging rock star in Powder Blue, co-starring his younger brother Don in their first film together. Swayze starred in the A&E FBI drama The Beast,^[24] filmed in Chicago, as FBI Agent Charles Barker.^[25]

Personal life[link]

Swayze and his wife, Lisa Niemi, arrive at the 1989 Academy Awards ceremony

Swayze was married to Lisa Niemi from June 12, 1975, until his death. The couple first met in 1970 when Swayze was 18 years old. Niemi, 14 years old at the time, was taking dance lessons from Swayze's mother. Swayze and Niemi had no children.^[26] In a 2008 interview, Swayze stated that Niemi was the inspiration for his 1987 hit song, "She's Like the Wind".^[27]

As a reaction to his father's death at age 57 from a heart attack in 1982, Swayze began to drink heavily.^[28] In 1989, Swayze said, "I've always felt there was something different in there (my personality), but I was scared to look for fear I wouldn't find anything. That's the reason I got into Buddhism, took est training, was into therapy, into Scientology, into Transcendental Meditation. I was trying to support that side of myself. But, you know, in Texas there isn't much support for that part of you."^[29] His sister Vicky committed suicide by drug overdose in 1994,^[28] leading him to seek treatment for alcoholism. After initial recovery, he temporarily withdrew from show business, retreating to his ranches in California and Las Vegas, New Mexico, to breed Arabian horses. His best-known horse was Tammen, a chestnut Arabian stallion.^[30]

Swayze, who was a certified pilot with an instrument rating, made the news on June 1, 2000, while flying with his dogs in his twin-engine Cessna from Van Nuys, California to Las Vegas. His plane developed a pressurization problem, causing Swayze to make a precautionary landing on a dirt road in a housing complex in Prescott Valley. The plane's right wing struck a light pole, but Swayze was unharmed. He locked the cockpit, left the aircraft in the subdivision, and obtained a ride—with his dogs—from a passing vehicle, allegedly in order to telephone the authorities. According to the police report, witnesses said that Swayze appeared to be extremely intoxicated and asked for help to remove evidence—an open bottle of wine and a 30-pack of beer—from the crash site.^[31] He made himself unavailable to police for several hours. It was later determined that the alcohol in question was not in the cabin, but stored in external storage compartments inaccessible in flight and that the probable cause of the accident was Swayze's physical impairment due to the cumulative effects of carbon monoxide from engine exhaust by-products, carbon monoxide from heavy tobacco use, and the loss of an undetermined amount of cabin pressurization.^[32]

Illness and death[link]

Wikinews has related news: American actor Patrick Swayze dies at age 57

In late January 2008, Swayze was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer (specifically, intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm). He traveled to the Stanford University Medical Center for chemotherapy and treatment with the experimental drug Vatalanib, the latter of which doctors hoped would cut off the blood supply to the tumor.^[33] On March 5, 2008, a Reuters article reported that Swayze "has a very limited amount of disease, and he appears to be responding well to treatment thus far."^[34] Swayze's doctor confirmed that the actor was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but insisted he was not as close to death as reports suggest. Despite repeated tabloid claims that his death was imminent, Swayze continued to actively pursue his career.^[35]

In early May 2008, it was widely reported in a number of tabloids that Swayze had undergone surgery to remove part of his stomach after the spread of the cancer and that he had rewritten his will, transferring his property to his wife.^[36][37] In a statement made on May 28, Swayze said that he continued to respond well to treatment at Stanford University Medical Center. In late May 2008, he was seen at a Los Angeles Lakers basketball game, his first public appearance since his diagnosis.^[38] In 2008 Swayze was treated with Cyberknife radiotherapy cancer treatment.^[39]

In late July 2008, six months after reportedly being given just weeks to live by medical experts, a healthy-appearing^[40] Swayze was asked by reporter in Los Angeles airport about this health. He replied, "I'm cooking. I'm a miracle dude. I don't know why".^[41]

Swayze appeared on the ABC, NBC, and CBS simulcast of Stand Up to Cancer in September 2008, to appeal to the general public for donations for the initiative. Swayze said to a standing ovation "I dream that the word 'cure' will no longer be followed by the words 'it's impossible'. Together, we can make a world where cancer no longer means living with fear, without hope, or worse".^[42] After the show ended, Swayze remained on-stage and talked to other cancer patients; executive producer Laura Ziskin said, "He said a beautiful thing: 'I'm just an individual living with cancer'. That's how he wants to be thought of. He's in a fight, but he's a fighter".^[42][43] In late 2008, Swayze denied claims made by tabloids that the cancer had spread to his liver.^[44] Swayze told Barbara Walters in January 2009 that he wanted the media to report that he was "kicking it".^[2]

When Barbara Walters asked him if he was using any holistic or alternative methods of treatment besides the chemotherapy, Swayze admitted to using some Chinese herbs, but not much. He then voiced his opposition to the unsupported claims made by proponents of alternative therapies, as noted by ABC News journalist Joseph Brownstein:

Because of the grim prognosis, many patients turn to alternative therapies without scientific evidence behind them. Swayze did not.

"That's one thing I'm not gonna do, is chase, is chase staying alive. I'm not, you know, you'll spend so much time chasing staying alive you won't live, you know? I wanna live. If anybody had that cure out there like so many people swear to me they do, you'd be two things: you'd be very rich, and you'd be very famous. Otherwise, shut up," he told Barbara Walters in an interview that aired in January [2009].^[45]

His last role was the lead in an A&E TV series, The Beast, which premiered on January 15, 2009. Owing to a prolonged decline in health, Swayze was unable to promote the series, and on June 15, 2009, Entertainment Tonight reported that the show had been cancelled.^[4] In an interview with Barbara Walters which aired in January 2009, Swayze admitted that he had a "tiny little mass" in his liver. On January 9, 2009, Swayze was hospitalized with pneumonia. The pneumonia was said to be a complication of chemotherapy treatments for Swayze's cancer.^[46] On January 16, he was released from the hospital to rest at home with his wife.^[47] On April 19, 2009, doctors informed Swayze that the cancer had again metastasized to his liver.^[48] Swayze stated that his chain smoking probably "had something to do with" the development of his disease. Photos taken of a gaunt Swayze in the months before his death showed him continuing to smoke.^[49][50]

Swayze died with family at his side on September 14, 2009, at age 57, 20 months after being diagnosed.^[51][52] Swayze's publicist, Annett Wolf, confirmed to CNN that he had died of pancreatic cancer.^[53] He was cremated and his ashes scattered over his New Mexico ranch. He is survived by his wife Lisa Niemi, along with his mother, both brothers and one sister.

Cultural impact[link]

Swayze's name has become a commonly used term in hip hop songs.^[54] Lyrics will use the phrase "...and I'm Swayze," meaning that the speaker has become "like a ghost", meaning he disappeared or is otherwise gone. This is a reference to the title character of Swayze's 1990 film Ghost. It is known to have begun in the early 1990s, by prominent rappers such as EPMD, Black Sheep, CL Smooth, and more recently by such rappers as The Notorious B.I.G. in 2Pac's song Runnin' (Dying to Live), Method Man, Aesop Rock, and in Mistah F.A.B.'s Ghost Ride It. The expression has become such a hip hop staple that it was even used in the Saturday Night Live hip hop parody, Lazy Sunday.

Filmography[link]

References[link]