Patrick Swayze, the actor who has been fighting pancreatic cancer since January 2008, is very much alive, despite rumors earlier today that he’d passed away.

Traditional media started the inaccurate rumor, with Florida-based radio station KissFM planting the seed this morning. However, it was Twitter that spread the news rapidly, even leading to Patrick’s Wikipedia page being wrongly updated.

The false Tweets forced Swayze’s rep to release a statement:

“This is to confirm that Patrick Swayze did not pass away this morning contrary to severely reckless reports stemming from a radio station in Jacksonville, Florida. Swayze is alive, well and is enjoying his life and he continues to respond to treatment.

The speed at which the story spread, becoming a top Twitter trending topic this morning, points towards a failing of Twitter, and an opportunity for mainstream media: while Twitter spreads breaking news much faster than blogs and newspapers, those higher up the chain still have the appropriate checks and balances to protect against these inaccuracies.

Tags: patrick swayze, twitter