"Last Lecture" ~ Randy Pausch Dead at 47

[Ed]

Randy Pausch, author of The Last Lecture, dies

Last Updated: Friday, July 25, 2008 | 1:12 PM ET
CBC News

Randy Pausch, the computer science professor who rose to fame after giving a quirky last lecture about celebrating life in the face of his terminal cancer, died Friday.

The 47-year-old died at his home in Chesapeake, Va., according to Wall Street Journal columnist Jeffrey Zaslow, who helped launch Pausch to fame after writing about the speech — which also garnered widespread attention when it was posted on video sharing site YouTube.

When Pausch was offered a deal to write a book expanding on his lecture, Zaslow co-authored the non-fiction title. The Last Lecture became a bestseller.

"It was the most fun 53 days of my life because it was like a performance," Zaslow said. "It was like getting 53 extra lectures."

A pioneer in the field of virtual reality who became a professor at his alma mater, Carnegie Mellon University, Pausch also co-founded the school's Entertainment Technology Center and developed programs to make teaching computer science and animation more fun for high school and post-secondary students.

He also helped develop the Alice 3D-animation software and had stints at Walt Disney and Electronic Arts.

He was diagnosed with incurable pancreatic cancer in September 2006.

A year later, Pausch took part in a lecture series at the university that saw professors give hypothetical final talks and speak about what mattered most to them.

The popular and flamboyant Pausch drew a packed crowd for his light-hearted session, dedicated to his children.

He joked about his realized and unrealized childhood dreams and urged people to have more fun and live life to the fullest.

Aside from the book deal and internet interest, he was invited to visit The Oprah Winfrey Show and make other TV appearances. He also maintained a blog that delivered updates on his life.

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If you have never seen the You Tube video of Professor Pausch's "Last Lecture", you owe it to yourselves and everyone you love to do so NOW. It is an hour and 16 minutes long, and I can guarantee you will be spellbound every minute through the entire video. I can honestly say that his lecture made more sense to me and touched me more than anything I have heard in my lifetime.

Here is a link to the video.

Note that Professor Pausch was proudly wearing his Disney name plate and a Disney Imagineering shirt during the lecture. He worked at Imagineering while on a sabbatical from Carnegie Mellon.

The world needs more Randy Pausch's.

Please remember his family in your prayers.

[RBrooksC]

This is very sad. He had three young children. What I think was great about him is he never let his disease get the best of him. The book, which I am about to read, is a legacy left for his children. A truly great man has passed but it is sad that he had to get cancer for people to learn that.

[Young@Heart]

Thank you so much for the link. I just finished watching and words can't explain how poignant that was. In fact, my DS's (12 and 14) happened to come by about 10 minutes into it and actually stayed and watched the rest of it with me. I think he had quite an impression on them.

God bless you, Randy Pausch. My prayers are with your family.

[AHOTE]

I've watched the Last Lecture three times and I continue to gain new insights from each viewing. Tonight I watched the Tribute to Randy on ABC with Diane Sawyer and I cried for a man I never met but felt I knew. God Bless you Randy and Thank You for lessons well taught. You and your family will be in my prayers. I choose to go on as a

[brad192]

I too watched the ABC tribute last night & was in tears at the end. What an amazing man! While I haven't yet watched the entire lecture, the parts that were shown during the tribute were absolutely fascinating. I really liked the fact that he was wearing a WDI polo with his CM namebadge too! He "got it" just like the rest of us. I think we can all learn lessons from Dr. Pausch about attitude, responsibility, fortitude and grace. RIP Dr. Randy Pausch, you will be remembered & missed.

[Bethanymouse]

His story was so inspirational. I watched his lecture many times and have read his book and passed it on to many different people. What a great legacy to leave. Such a sad story.