Recently the entertainment world was rocked by two tragic bits of news. The first one was the death of Canadian jazz and blues-rock musician Jeff Healey. The second was the revelation that actor Patrick Swayze had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

How are these two unfortunate pieces of information related? Not only did these two stories make headlines within a week of one another, but also both men starred in one of the greatest movies of all-time, Road House.

Now I've reviewed Road House before - in fact it was the first film I ever reviewed. So I won't go re-hashing all of the same information again - if I wanted to do that, I would have become the Interrobang's fitness columnist. Instead I'll just briefly summarize the film. If you want to read more about it, then visit my website at www.cinemaconn.com, or type “swayze” into the search box of the Interrobang's website.

The 1989 film Road House features Patrick Swayze as Dalton, a cooler (a cross between a bouncer, a ninja and a philosopher) at a seedy bar in Missouri. Dalton immediately gets to work on cleaning up the establishment by eliminating employees that are exhibiting poor workplace habits, such as dealing drugs and having sex in the bathroom during their breaks.

Dalton's efforts to turn the bar into a respectable establishment are initially successful, however he then crosses paths with a local crime boss. While other businesses in town have backed down from the crime lord, and allowed themselves to be extorted from, Dalton stands up to them.

Road House has everything you could ask for. It's got plenty of action, as Swayze exchanges fisticuffs with an assortment of nogoodniks. It's has a love story between Dalton and the town's doctor, who tends to his many wounds. Plus it has great music, thanks to Jeff Healey, who portrays the leader of the bar's house band.

The Toronto born Healey lost his sight at only eight months of age, due to a form of cancer. Both eyes had to be removed, and he was given artificial replacements. Despite the setback, he would have a successful career releasing 10 albums, and earning a 1990 Entertainer of the Year Juno award. He was also a frequent performer at London's annual downtown Bluesfest.

While he hasn't been seen in many films as of late, Patrick Swayze was one of the biggest stars around at the time of Road House's release. An accomplished singer, dancer and actor, he starred in two highly successful films, Dirty Dancing and Ghost. Swayze may best be remembered for the “Nobody puts baby in a corner” scene in Dirty Dancing, or the steamy pottery scene with Demi Moore in Ghost.

However, I always associate Patrick Swayze with the scene in Road House where he rips a man's throat out. If cancer had a throat (and according to WebMD.com it does not), then Swayze would undeniably rip it out too. Here's hoping that Patrick makes a full recovery, and is able to resume his acting career.

Here's hoping as well that you honour both Healey and Swayze by picking yourself up a copy of Road House. A special edition of the film was released on DVD in 2006, featuring a commentary track by Clerks and Mallrats director Kevin Smith, plus a “What Would Dalton Do” feature, where real bouncers and coolers discuss what they would do when faced with the situations in the film. I haven't seen this feature, but I'm assuming most of them say that they would run away or cower in a corner.