Patrick Swayze dies

In this age of social networking, the news Patrick Swayze had lost his battle to cancer spread over Facebook and Twitter almost instantly. His untimely death from pancreatic cancer, however, still came as a shock.

I remember watching "Dirty Dancing" as a young child once my sister and I convinced our mother to allow us to watch it. In later years, my classmates and I at the University of New Hampshire routinely watched "To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar" inside the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs and in our dorm rooms. The movie's three drag queens immediately solidified its campy gay credentials, but Swayze's portrayal of Miss Vida Boheme remains priceless.

Perhaps the song "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" encapsulates Swayze's legacy best as Hollywood and others pay homage to his life. His legacy will almost certainly be great, and may he rest in peace.