WHOOPI GOLDBERG has paid tribute to PATRICK SWAYZE and credited him for her winning an Oscar.

The pair worked together in the movie Ghost, and Whoopi says she would never have landed the role or won an Oscar for her portrayal as psychic Rita, if it hadn't been for Swayze.

She said: "Because of Patrick Swayze, I got that movie Ghost. Because of Patrick Swayze, I have an Oscar."

The actress has also revealed Patrick's fun side, recalling how he would ‘moon' her on set.

She says: "The camera would be on me and he'd be off to the side and he'd moon me! It was the greatest.

"Patrick was a really good man, a funny man and one to whom I owe much that I can't ever repay. I believe in Ghost's message, so he'll always be near."

Swayze lost his battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 57 this week.