Some know Patrick Swayze as the prancing pretty-boy from Dirty Dancing, or as the specter that romanced Demi Moore from the grave in Ghost. To dismiss Patrick Swayze as a fluke, flop or chick flick fodder would be to truly miss the importance of the greatness of, “The Swaze.”

First let’s look at those two big girlie movies. In the first, yeah, so he can dance. Big deal? Think of how many tough guys you know are too chicken shit to go out on the dance floor and cut a rug. In fact chances are you, yourself are probably too much of a scaredy cat to put it all out there and move your hips to the rhythm. Patrick Swayze wasn’t just a dancer, but a great dancer. He was trained by his mom, a Hollywood choreographer. Then in Dirty Dancing he not just danced better than everyone else, he got to nail Jennifer Grey. Because that’s the kind of man the Swaze was. He was willing to put it out there and make himself look stupid, and all the guys would laugh, but then he’d walk out with the girl. Who was laughing then, I ask you?

Now take Ghost. Patrick’s character dies, and still manages to score. AND HE FUCKING POSSESSES THE BODY OF WHOOPI GOLDBERG TO DO IT. Swayze wins again, showing that he has a relentless commitment to tail that not even death itself can conquer.

Those two movies pretty much cement the image of Patrick Swayze in most people’s minds, but that completely misses his two greatest contributions to manhood. Those are in the form of Red Dawn and Road House. For the estrogen-shellacked films listed before, he starred in two films that are filled with chest-beating manliness. Swayze was a true entertainer, and he had something for everyone. He could dance in one scene, and kick ass in another. Come back from beyond the grave to make it with Demi Moore one last time, and then BOOM! switch gears to kick Commie ass in Iowa.

As if that wasn’t enough, as though starring in brute, action movies and lithe romance fair didn’t seal the deal on the Swaze’s versatility, he actually went far beyond anything most men secure in themselves would do. He played a drag queen – and he did a damn good job at it. To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything earned him a Golden Globe nomination, one of the few times he’d actually be recognized for his acting talent. Then he started getting really colorful. A personal speaker/secret pedo in Donnie Darko. Rocker turned barkeep in the indie film Powder Blue. And his final role, hardboiled undercover cop Charles Barker in the Beast. As Swayze got older the roles got more complex. He was aging like fine wine. Criminal then he was diagnosed in 2008 with pancreatic cancer.

What’s funny though is that even with cancer, Swayze continued working on the Beast, his last acting job ever. He was put in the hospital for pneumonia. No biggie, he got out, rested and went back to work. He only stopped when it go so bad that he was basically told, “Hey man, you’re going to fucking die, you have to stop working now.” Only then did he actually bother to stay home for good.

Aside from acting, Swayze was a licensed pilot and bred Arabian horses. Basically he decided life on-screen wasn’t cool enough and thought, “Hey I think I’ll be a real life cowboy and pilot too on top of being the object of desire for millions of women.” He also married once, which practically never happens in Tinseltown, and stayed married to his wife for 35 years.

But what’s really going to knock you over is that his last act, the final move he’d make to completely certify his status as one of history’s greatest men who ever lived, was a side-effect of his unfortunate death. By dying on this day, September 14th, 2009, Patrick Swayze made sure NO ONE would give a shit about Kanye West bitching about Taylor Swift’s video music award from here on out.

Thank you, Patrick Swayze – for the movies, for the memories, and for knocking Kanye off the headlines.