Swayze widow 'still texts husband'

Lisa Niemi has revealed that she still sends text messages to her late husband Patrick Swayze.

The actress said that she has kept up a long-standing tradition of texting Swayze - who died from pancreatic cancer a year ago - whenever she boards an aeroplane.

She told People: "I just put what I always did - 'I love you.' And then I cried for a little bit to myself.

"[The message] didn't come back. So either somewhere out there he received it, or someone's going, 'Somebody loves me!' And you know what? I figured it was a win-win situation."

Niemi reiterated that she could still feel her husband's presence, and added that she was slowly coming to terms with the "overwhelming" loss.

"I know he wanted me to be okay," she said. "And I am stronger now. The fact that I've had some good days definitely gives me hope that I can have more."

Patrick Swayze dies at 57

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Patrick Swayze personified a particular kind of masculine grace both on and off screen, from his roles in films like "Dirty Dancing" and "Ghost" to the way he carried himself in his long fight with pancreatic cancer.

Swayze died from the illness on Monday in Los Angeles, his publicist said. He was 57.

"Patrick 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 released Monday evening by his publicist, Annett Wolf. No other details were given.

Fans of the actor were saddened to learn in March 2008 that Swayze was suffering from a particularly deadly form of cancer.