Patrick Swayze's Rep Denies Death Rumors

Update

Patrick Swayze's Rep Denies Death Rumors

Tue., May. 19, 2009 1:50 PM PDT by Gina Serpe

Courtesy: Brian Braff

Don't believe the rumors: Patrick Swayze is "alive and well."

The Internet exploded this morning with rumors that the Dirty Dancing star had lost his public battle with pancreatic cancer, but the actor's rep has quickly corrected the record.

"This is to confirm that Patrick Swayze did not pass away this morning, contrary to severely reckless reports stemming from a radio station in Jacksonville, Fla.," his publicist, Annett Wolf, says in a statement to E! News.

"Patrick is alive, well and is enjoying his life, and he continues to respond to treatment."

The rep also released a new photo of Swazye and his wife, Lisa Niemi , taken last week at their New Mexico ranch.

The 56-year-old Beast star has been dogged by rumors of failing health since he made public his diagnosis last year.

The latest round came this morning, when his premature death was reportedly announced on air during a radio news segment on KISS-FM.

Adding to the confusion is that there are two Jacksonville-area radio stations with those call letters, though neither is eager to take credit for the report.

The programming director for 99.9 WKIS-FM, however, has already spoken out denying that the rumor originated on his airwaves.

As for Swayze, the actor is still waiting on another verdict—that of his A&E show.

The Beast did not appear on the cable net's programming lineup when A&E unveiled its fall schedule last week, but a rep for the network said that a final decision about the show's future has yet to be made.

(Originally published on May 19, 2009, at 10:01 a.m. PT)

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