LOS ANGELES - Patrick Swayze has checked himself into the hospital for observation after contracting pneumonia, A&E president Abbe Raven announced at a meeting of the Television Critics Association where Swayze was scheduled to appear Friday to discuss his upcoming police drama `The Beast.'
Swayze has been battling pancreatic cancer.
The 56-year-old has said the show involved gruelling 12-hour workdays, with chemotherapy sessions on the weekends.
He rejected painkilling drugs that would have taken the edge off his performance.
In five months, he missed just a day and a half at work.