Randy Pausch cancer update 2008: Randy Pausch, 47, has died.

Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist whose “last lecture” about facing terminal cancer became an Internet sensation and a best-selling book, died early Friday at his home in Virginia, university spokeswoman Anne Watzman said.

In August 2006, Randy Pausch was diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic cancer. He pursued a very aggressive cancer treatment, however, he was told in August 2007, the cancer had metastasized to his liver and spleen, which meant it was terminal.

His popular last lecture at Carnegie Mellon in September 2007 garnered international attention and was viewed by millions on the Internet.

Here is Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture on You Tube:

Born in 1960, Pausch received his bachelor’s degree in computer science from Brown University and his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon.

He and his wife, Jai, had three children, Dylan, Logan and Chloe.

Use the following links for additional resources:

• Download the transcript [.pdf] of Randy’s lecture on YouTube.
• Learn more about “The Last Lecture,” Randy’s new book co-written by alumnus Jeffrey Zaslow.
• Visit Randy’s site to read a personal message from Randy and learn more about his work.

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Randy Pausch, born on 23rd Oct 1960, is a Professor of Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction, and Design at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.

In August 2006, Randy Pausch was diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic cancer. He pursued a very aggressive cancer treatment, however, he was told in August 2007, the cancer had metastasized to his liver and spleen, which meant it was terminal.

Randy Pausch then started palliative chemotherapy, to extend his life as long as possible. At that time, doctors estimated he would remain healthy for another three to six months.

On May 2, 2008, a PET scan showed that his cancer had spread to his lungs, some lymph nodes in his chest and that he had some metastases in his peritoneum and retroperitoneum, evidence that the disease has begun to take over.

On May 18, 2008, Randy Pausch made a surprise return to Carnegie Mellon University to deliver an inspirational speech to the Class of 2008 at the Commencement ceremony.

Here is the video of the speech:
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