Randy Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist whose ``last lecture'' about facing terminal cancer became an international sensation and a best-selling book, died Friday. He was 47.

University spokeswoman Anne Watzman says Pausch died early Friday at his home in Virginia.

Pausch was diagnosed with incurable pancreatic cancer in September 2006. His popular last lecture at Carnegie Mellon in September 2007 garnered international attention and was viewed by millions on the Internet.

In it, Pausch celebrated living the life he had always dreamed of instead of concentrating on impending death.  You can view the video by clicking here.


The family requests that memorial donations on Professor Pausch's behalf should be directed to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network:

          2141 Rosecrans Avenue
          Suite 7000
          El Segundo, CA  90245.

Donations may also be sent toCarnegie Mellon's Randy Pausch Memorial Fund.  The fund primarily supports the university's continued work on the Alice Project,  which provides free educational software to students interested in learning computer software.