Items from Swayze estate up for auction
Souvenirs from actor’s NM ranch on the block
LAS VEGAS. N.M. — An auction featuring actor Patrick Swayze’s estate will include items from the northern New Mexico ranch he and his wife purchased in 1997.
A three-time Golden Globe nominee who became an instant celebrity after the 1987 hit film “Dirty Dancing,” Swayze died in September 2009 after a nearly two-year battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 57.
Part of the proceeds from the April 28 and 29 auction in Los Angeles will go to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. His widow, Lisa Niemi, has for seven years been an ambassador for the national organization, which provides resources, volunteer opportunities and hope for people fighting pancreatic cancer.
“Patrick fought a courageous battle against pancreatic cancer,” said Niemi, who was married to Swayze for 34 years. The two met when she was 16 at a Houston dance studio owned by Swayze’s mother.
“I want others to have the chance that Patrick fought so hard for,” she added.
The 60-year-old said she knew she would have an auction of a collection of Patrick’s things at some point.
“‘When?’ was the big question,” said Niemi, a writer, director, actress and dancer who still owns the couple’s 7,000-acre ranch in San Miguel outside Las Vegas, N.M. “And, I have to say, I couldn’t have parted with these things even a year ago. Even now, it’s been a tough decision for me.”
Julien’s Auction, a company that handles the sale of possessions owned by celebrities, including Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson, will host the auction. One of the featured items will be the leather jacket Swayze wore in “Dirty Dancing,” when he starred as misunderstood dance instructor Johnny Castle.
Also on the auction block will be Swayze’s 1986 Harley Davidson soft-tail, the surfboard he used in the 1991 film “Point Break,” and the shirt and shoes he wore in the 1990 film “Ghost,” a blockbuster that also starred Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg.
There are at least 20 items from the Swayze ranch, including guns, knives, antique brass boxes, desks, African items, boots, bolo ties, a custom-made dining room table, and a headboard made from a gate and window they bought on their travels.
The script from the 1984 film “Red Dawn” and the gaiters Swayze wore will also be for sale. “Red Dawn,” the story of teenagers forced to defend their hometown during a World War III invasion, was filmed in northern New Mexico outside Las Vegas and on Johnson’s Mesa.
The sale of the couple’s small horse ranch (Rancho Bizarro) in Los Angeles, which they owned for 30 years, prompted the estate auction, Niemi said.
“I went from five acres with a barn to a property that was barely a fraction of that size,” she said. “But I packed everything meticulously, and it’s been spread out in several storage places and spilling out of my garage for two years now.”
“It’s hard when you lose someone so close to you and selling our Rancho Bizarro was very hard for me, much harder than I ever thought it would be, and parting with these items feels like another chapter of loss in this long journey,” Niemi added.
A grief counselor convinced her it was time to sell.
“(He) encouraged me to move ahead with this sooner, rather than later,” she said. “That it will be the healthiest and most positive thing for me to do. He told me to just buckle down and do it.
“I am also now re-married to a wonderful man, Albert, and need to make room for our life together and his things,” Niemi added.
She noted that what helped her as she packed up their home was knowing she would someday share these special items with others.
“I know there are a lot of people out there that really appreciated who Patrick was, and his amazing talent,” Niemi said.
Deciding what to sell was difficult at times.
“I spent quite a few nights, waking up, worrying about whether I should keep one item or put it in the auction,” she said. “Of course, all the really personal items I’ve kept for myself.”
A news release from Julien’s referred to Swayze and Niemi as one of Hollywood’s most revered and admired couples. Swayze, also a dancer and singer-songwriter, considered Niemi the love of his life.
Buyers can bid online at JuliensLive.com, over the telephone through an auction house representative, in person or absentee by going to www. juliensauctions.com. For the list of items, go to http://www.juliensauctions.com/auctions/2017/ patrick-swayze/index.html.