Road House star Patrick Swayze’s life took a tragic turn when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which eventually led to his death on September 14, 2009, leaving behind his wife of 34 years, Lisa Niemi, whom he married at the age of 19.
In 2014, after four years of mourning the loss of her beloved husband, Lisa found love again and tied the knot with Albert DePrisco, a jeweler whom she met through a mutual friend. During an interview with PEOPLE, the actress shared that it took her a while to fall in love with DePrisco due to her continued affection for her late husband.
Lisa Niemi found love again
“I have to say, that the love I have for Patrick was never in conflict or competition with my feelings for Albert,” she admitted to the news outlet. “That is until Albert asked me to marry him! I found myself grappling with my feelings of having been married to Patrick for 34 years! Privately, I flipped, I flopped. Yes, get married, no, don’t get married.”
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Luckily, her new husband showed her the utmost support and understanding. “Albert knew I still loved Patrick and would always love him, and told me, ‘And I know you love me, and I love you.’ How could I not marry this man? As I had time to process the change my life was going to take, my doubts became less and less, and I became more and more sure.”
Patrick Swayze’s wife, Lisa Niemi, says her late husband blessed her new marriage in a dream
The 67-year-old mentioned that before she married her new husband on May 25, 2014, her late husband appeared to her in a dream. “About a month and a half ago, I had a dream about Patrick,” Lisa stated. “It was like he was giving me his blessing and letting me know it was okay. Again, it can be hard sometimes to take those steps forward, but it doesn’t change the way we feel about someone. He was letting me know that.”
Niemi expressed that she had a positive feeling immediately after the dream that made her decide to marry DePrisco. “It’s probably the number one reason I married him,” she added. “How could that be? But I’m willing to step into that future.”