Jul 25, 2008 6:50 pm US/Eastern
CMU 'Last Lecture' Professor Randy Pausch Has Died
PITTSBURGH (KDKA/AP) ―
Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon University professor whose inspirational "Last Lecture" became an Internet sensation, has died from pancreatic cancer.
A CMU spokesperson confirmed that Pausch died at his home in Virginia. Pausch and his family moved there last fall to be closer to his wife's relatives.
Pausch's "Last Lecture" about achieving childhood dreams was
posted to YouTube in December by Carnegie Mellon University, where he worked as a computer science professor.
In it, Pausch celebrated living the life he had always dreamed of instead of concentrating on impending death.
The speech, which was taped so his children could watch it when they're older, has been viewed more than 3.2 million times.
"The lecture was for my kids, but if others are finding value in it, that is wonderful," Pausch wrote on his Web site. "But rest assured; I'm hardly unique."
In May, Paush inspired even more people when he spoke at CMU's commencement.
Watch His Speech
His book entitled "The Last Lecture" leaped to the top of the nonfiction best-seller lists after its publication in April and remains there this week
Pausch was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in September 2006.
Pausch lobbied Congress for more federal funding for pancreatic cancer research and appeared on "Oprah" and other TV shows.
In what he called "a truly magical experience," he was even invited to appear as an extra in the new "Star Trek" movie. He had one line of dialogue, got to keep his costume and donated his $217.06 paycheck to charity.
Pausch blogged regularly about his medical treatment. On February 15, exactly six months after he was told he had three to six months of healthy living left, Pausch posted a photo of himself to show he was "still alive & healthy."
"I rode my bike today; the cumulative effects of the chemotherapy are hurting my stamina some, but I bet I can still run a quarter mile faster than most Americans," he wrote.
A post on his
official Web site yesterday says Pausch had been "much sicker than he had been. He's now enrolled in hospice."
Born in 1960, Pausch received his bachelor's degree in computer science from Brown University and his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon.
He co-founded Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center, a master's program for bringing artists and engineers together. The university named a footbridge in his honor. He also created an animation-based teaching program for high school and college students to have fun while learning computer programming.
In February, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences in California announced the creation of the Dr. Randy Pausch Scholarship Fund for university students who pursue careers in game design, development and production.
Pausch is survived by his wife, Jai, and three young children, Dylan, Logan and Chloe.
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