Patrick Swayze’s Family Tree: His Siblings, Their Lives, and Sean Swayze’s Death

Late actor Patrick Swayze left a legacy that still moves the culture through films like Dirty Dancing, Ghost, and Road House. However, behind the Hollywood myth is a tight, complicated, creative family.

Patrick wasn’t just a movie star who could dance. He trained seriously from childhood at his mother’s dance studio in Houston, then chased professional dance and Broadway before Hollywood fully claimed him. He toured with Disney on Parade and later landed the role of Danny Zuko in Grease on Broadway. And while Patrick’s star rose, his siblings were building lives of their own.

Patrick grew up in a family shaped by performance — dance, discipline, and ambition — led by his mother, Patsy Swayze, a dance teacher and choreographer. According to the Los Angeles Times, Patsy had five children.

Vickie Lynn Swayze shared that early artistic upbringing alongside her younger brothers and sister. She remained close to the family before her life was cut short. Vickie died in 1994 at age 45 in Van Nuys, Calif., according to MSN. Don Swayze became the sibling most familiar to TV audiences. He built a steady career as a character actor, stacking decades of credits across film and television. Per IMDb, he has appeared in True Blood, Magnum P.I., and NCIS: Hawai’i.

Sean Swayze, the youngest biological brother, was born in Houston. He grew up alongside Patrick, Don, Vickie, and their youngest sister, Bambi. However, unlike Patrick and Don, Sean mostly stayed out of the spotlight.

Patrick’s brother Sean died on Dec. 15, 2025, in the Los Angeles area at the age of 63. According to Sean’s death certificate obtained by People, the medical examiner listed multiple medical factors that contributed to his passing. He died from an upper gastrointestinal bleed, a serious and often sudden form of internal bleeding in the digestive tract.

That bleeding occurred alongside severe metabolic acidosis, a dangerous chemical imbalance in the body, and esophageal varices — enlarged veins in the esophagus that can rupture without warning.

The death certificate also cited alcoholic liver cirrhosis, an advanced stage of liver damage linked to long-term alcohol use. Medical examiners determined that these conditions, particularly the cirrhosis, triggered a cascade of complications that ultimately led to the fatal bleeding.

Sean is survived by his older brother, Don Swayze, and his children, Cassie and Kyle Swayze, as well as his son Jesse. In the days following his death, Sean’s cousin Rachel Leon shared a heartfelt tribute on Instagram, revealing just how sudden the loss felt for the family.

“Just recently, we were talking about him coming down to Texas to spend time with us, and I was really looking forward to it,” Rachel wrote. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his brother, Don Swayze, and his children, Cassie Swayze, Kyle Swayze, and Jesse Swayze. We are praying hard for the entire family during this difficult time.”