Voice of ‘The Last Lecture’ becomes Silent

Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon University professor who sparked a sensation by discussing his life with terminal cancer through a speech and subsequent book, ‘The Last Lecture,’ died of the disease, on Friday. He was 47.

Pausch was diagnosed with incurable pancreatic cancer in September 2006. He died at his home in Virginia, where he had moved with his family, last fall.

The professor of computer science at the Pittsburgh school stepped on an international stage last September, to address a crowd of about 400 faculty and students as part of the school’s ‘Last Lecture’ series.

Pausch started off with the news of his terminal disease and how he was celebrating the life he had always dreamed of instead of being bothered about the impending death. He added a dash a humor while talking about his childhood dreams and discussed how to help others achieve their own goals in life.

He claimed to have fulfilled almost all his childhood dreams — being in zero gravity, writing an article in the World Book Encyclopedia and working with the Walt Disney Co. but just could not get to play in the National Football League.

"If I don't seem as depressed or morose as I should be, sorry to disappoint you," Pausch said.

The inspiring lecture’s video was later viewed by more than 6 million people on the Internet. "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."

‘The Last Lecture,’ was converted into a book, written with Jeffrey Zaslow, which was published in April. It was labeled non-fiction Best-seller as copies flew off shelves.

Pausch regularly discussed his medical treatment on a blog, through which he frequently motivated the readers to utterly live their lives and not fret too much.
“I always thought every day was a gift,” he reportedly said in an April interview. “Now I am looking for where to send the thank you note.”

Pausch survived by his wife, Jai; three children, Dylan, Logan and Chloe; his mother and a sister.