Patrick Swayze has pneumonia and checked himself into the hospital

Patrick Swayze has pneumonia and has checked himself into a hospital for observation, it was revealed Friday at a press event for the Television Critics Association in Los Angeles.

"As we arrived here this morning we have some news," said A&E president Abbe Raven. "Patrick Swayze has checked himself into the hospital. However, he asked us specifically to go forward with today's panel. We wish him the very best with his recovery."

Bob DeBitetto, the president and general manager of A&E, delivered the news that Swayze had decided to check himself into the hospital after he came down with pneumonia.

Swayze, who is battling pancreatic cancer, had been expected to discuss his new show, The Beast, scheduled to begin airing Jan. 15.

'He's still fighting'
"Patrick is undergoing treatment and he's still fighting," a source close to the star tells PEOPLE. "He felt so bad that he couldn't be at the TCAs. He's fighting and doing well, and that's all anybody can hope for at this stage. He is not at death's door. Nobody ever knows with cancer, but he's doing alright. As soon as he's out, he's going to try to reschedule as much as he can.

Adds another source close to the situation, "He knows he's not a miracle. There's only so much he can do. He needs to take care of himself, so he checked himself in to get the help he needs."

During an interview that aired Wednesday on ABC, the actor told Barbara Walters that his road has been difficult. "You can bet that I'm going through hell," he said. "And I've only seen the beginning of it."

Swayze, 56, who went public with his diagnosis last March, said the disease has taken an emotional toll. "There's a lot of fear here," he said. "Yeah, I'm scared. Yeah, I'm angry. Yeah, I'm [asking], why me."

Despite his difficult year battling cancer, Swayze is still looking ahead. "I keep dreaming of a future, a future with a long and healthy life," he said, "not lived in the shadow of cancer, but in the light."

Colleagues Praise Patrick
At the TCA event in L.A., Swayze's colleagues on the show opened up about the actor's personal struggle. "[He's] been an absolute inspiration, he's an amazing guy," said costar Travis Fimmel. "He makes the little things seem not important."

Bill Rotko, creator of The Beast, said: "Although you forget sometimes that Patrick's going through treatment for cancer, it brings you very close together. There's a tremendous amount of respect going on."

Beast executive producer John Romano added that Swayze gives the show 100 percent. "He's bringing the force of his own personal struggle into the performance," he said. "He does it five days a week, 12 hours a day."

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Patrick Swayze's 'hellish' cancer

Patrick Swayze admits having cancer has been "hell on wheels".

The 'Dirty Dancing' actor - who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at the beginning of this year - insists the chemotherapy treatment he has been receiving is the most gruelling experience of his life.

He said: "It's a battle zone I go through. Chemo, no matter how you cut it, is hell on wheels. But I'm still fine to work, I haven't changed - oh, I have changed, what am I saying?"

Swayze, 56, first became worried about his health last December when he had persistent indigestion and was feeling ill on a regular basis.

He explained to the New York Times newspaper: "After that all of a sudden real symptoms started showing up. You see it in the mirror and you go, 'OK better go get checked out.' "

While the veteran actor, who has been undergoing pioneering Cyberknife radiotherapy at California's Stamford University Medical Center, is making a remarkable recovery from the illness, doctors cannot yet say he is completely free of the cancer.

Swayze is currently shooting TV drama 'The Beast', and has gained around 20lbs on a diet comprised mainly of fruit and vegetables and muscle-building milkshakes.

When he was originally diagnosed with deadly disease, Swayze was reportedly given just weeks to live.

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