‘Last Lecture’ author-professor dies of cancer

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Randy Pausch said obstacles serve a purpose: They “give us a chance to show how badly we want something.” Confronted with incurable cancer, he devised a last lecture that became an Internet sensation, a best-selling book and a celebration of a life spent achieving his dreams.

Ten months after giving the lecture, Pausch died Friday at his home in Chesapeake, Va., said Jeffrey Zaslow, the Wall Street Journal writer who co-wrote Pausch’s book “The Last Lecture.” Pausch was 47.

Pausch was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in September 2006. A year later, he gave the popular 76-minute speech titled “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams.”

A professor of computer science, human-computer interaction and design, Pausch was recognized as a pioneer of virtual reality research and became known on campus for his flamboyance and showmanship as a teacher and mentor.

In April, the book “The Last Lecture” was published and leaped to the top of the nonfiction best-seller lists, where it remained this week. The book deal was reported to be worth more than $6 million.

The speech last fall was part of a series Carnegie-Mellon previously called “The Last Lecture,” where professors were asked to think about what matters to them most and give a hypothetical final talk. Only in Pausch’s case, the popular professor really was facing death.

“It’s not about how to achieve your dreams, it’s about how to lead your life,” Pausch told the audience. “If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself, the dreams will come to you.”

He is survived by his wife, three children, mother and sister.