Patrick Swayze was abused by his violent mother throughout his childhood, says wife 10 years after his death
Patrick Swayze's widow, Lisa Niemi Swayze, has revealed shocking new details about the Hollywood star's childhood in a new documentary marking a decade since his death from cancer.
According to Lisa, Patsy Swayze, her mother-in-law, physically abused Patrick during his childhood, the Daily Mail reports.
"She could be very violent," Lisa told producers of 'I Am Patrick Swayze', a documentary that is set to air on the Paramount Network on August 18.
Patsy and her husband Jesse raised their five children -- of which Patrick was the second -- in Houston, Texas. She was a well-known choreographer and dance instructor in the Hollywood circuit and ran the Swayze School of Dance, which has trained a series of Emmy and Tony Award winners.
After Patrick joined the studio to take dance lessons from his mother, Patsy's perfectionism and high expectations many a time veered into physical abuse, Lisa said.
Speaking to People magazine, Lisa said Patrick had told her that his mother would frequently hit him during his childhood.
The widow said Patrick often told her a story about the day the physical abuse finally ended.
"Patrick privately recounted the story of his 18th birthday when Patsy was 'laying into him' before his father [Jesse] told his wife [Patsy] that he would divorce her if she touched their son again," Lis told to People.
"She never hit him after that," Lisa added.
She explained the behavior as "an example of what happens in families in a cycle of abuse," after Patsy herself had endured a violent childhood.
Lisa met Patrick the year he turned 18 when she was already enrolled as a student at the Swayze School of Dance.
According to her, Patrick began to view his mother more positively once he moved out of the family residence.
Patsy followed both Patrick and Lisa to Hollywood and started working as a choreographer in the film industry with her first movie credit being 1980 blockbuster Urban Cowboy, starring John Travolta and Debra Winger.
She became close to Patrick and his wife following the death of his father Jesse in 1982, especially after the pair never had any children of their own.
"Patsy could be extremely critical and negative. But she figured out that if she was going to be around us, she needed to be a little nicer, and that's what she did," Lisa told People.
That said, Patrick remained close to his mother until his tragic death from pancreatic cancer in September 2009.
After her son's passing, Patsy remained close to her daughter-in-law Lisa until she eventually died from stroke complications in September 2013 at the age of 86.
"She was a complicated woman, intense and an amazing life force. Patrick absolutely loved and respected her," Lisa said of Patsy.
Lisa herself has had to deny rumors that she was also physically abusive her relationship with the Ghost star.
Speaking to RadarOnline in 2016, a source claiming to be a friend of the couple said Lisa would often "beat on Patrick."
"They destroyed hotel rooms, cars, their house …. It was abusive," they said.
"Oh yeah, it didn't matter," the source said when asked if Lisa was abusive during Patrick's cancer treatment. "She wouldn't hit him with stuff — she would claw at his arms and neck. She would punch and slap him."
"Cancer bought him from 180 pounds to 90 pounds. She always had to upper hand because he wouldn't hit her," they added. "He was adamant about never ever laying his hands on her."
However, Lisa's spokesperson denied the allegations outright at the time.
"It is categorically untrue. It is that simple," they told the Daily Mail.