Los Angeles  - The body of actor and dancer Patrick Swayze has been cremated three days after he died, aged 57, after a 20-month battle with pancreatic cancer, according to E Online Friday.

Swayze's wife, Lisa Niemi, plans to scatter the ashes over the couple's ranch in New Mexico, but so far no plans have been announced for a funeral service.

Swayze's death certificate issued Thursday listed the cause of death as cardio-respiratory arrest caused by advanced pancreatic cancer.

He had publicly battled cancer, continuing to act in the cable television series The Beast while eschewing painkillers that might have impaired his performance.

When Swayze went public about his cancer in March 2008, he said it was likely that he would die within two years.

He was best known for his role as a dance instructor in the 1987 romance Dirty Dancing, which he followed up with another blockbuster romance, Ghost, in 1990, after which he was chosen by People magazine as the "sexiest man alive."

Despite his heartthrob status, he was married to Niemi from 1975 and devoted much of his time to raising thoroughbred horses on his remote California ranch. dpa