"Last Lecture" CMU Professor Randy Pausch Dies

Many readers are sending in word that Randy Pausch has died at 47. The charismatic young college professor celebrated life despite a death sentence from pancreatic cancer in a remarkable speech widely known as the "Last Lecture." The video went viral and has been downloaded by over 10 million people.

RIP

[scipiodog]

Requiem in Pacet

Interesting lecture

[cashman73]

Discovered his lecture on the internet late last year just as I was moving to Pittsburgh. It's quite an interesting and inspiring story. He was a remarkable individual. Rest in Peace, friend.

Godspeed

[D Ninja]

That was an amazing speech, Professor Pausch. Your family will be in my prayers. You had a great way of looking at life, and I sincerely believe that your children will benefit very much from that.

I know many people who already have...

Still not sure...

[Anonymous Coward]

if it was my last days on earth, I'd spend it giving a lecture.

I'm not really sure I'd even spend it with clothes on...

Re:Worth the time

[Anonymous Coward]

Obviously you haven't seen some of the videos I have...

Oh, I know. This is a sad thread. But Pausch had a good sense of humor! Live life! That's his message!

Re:A sad day for everyone that watched his speech

[dasunst3r]

No kidding -- I shed a few tears for this guy. If there was one thing I got from that lecture, it was a different perspective on brick walls. On the bright side, he beat the odds by a nontrivial amount, and he savored every last moment he could.

Tearful

[shashark]

I'm all tears as I write this. I've been following Prof Pausch on web since the time that video was posted. If you see his video, blog and other web commentary, you would realize how he was the embodiment of positive energy.

Hell, I even checked on him last week - and his blog posted that he was off chemo. I was happy to know that he was doing well. :(

Prof Pausch, we will miss you.

Wow

[squarooticus]

You have to be brave to be able to face what he did the way he did it. I think I would rather be run over by a train without a moment's notice.

Q: How do you make a man into a god?

[Trespass]

A: You kill him.

Re:My dad too

[Seakip18]

You owe it to your dad and Pausch's memory to watch it.

He knew how hard the future was going to be to him and his family. Instead of resigning himself to his fate, he poured his heart and soul into achieving the dreams he has held and preparing his children for the future. A noble effort and one that inspires, even in such sad times.

Video much better than book...

[TheRedSeven]

The book is not worth the price though. Go sit in your local Borders and read it, or borrow it from the library.

It duplicates most of the video, with little else besides some things that Mr. Pausch wanted to include for his family.

Besides, the video has the laugh track...

Re:Tearful

[glavenoid]

That is probably the single most touching thing I have ever seen or read. That kind of attitude, especially when staring at his own mortality, is the very definition of all things honourable. Not only did he lay out those nets for his own family, but for everyone. Professor Pausch will be missed by many, for sure, but his great deeds and genuine humility will continue to inspire, and will far outlast any sorrow...

Re:Godspeed

[Anonymous Coward]

His speech was extremely well done and very powerful. I would have loved to meet him, but I know I'll still remember him-- and I hope the 10,000 people who downloaded his video will too.

Re:Video much better than book...

[maxume]

Imagine how much better books could be if they listed the emotion you were supposed to be feeling at the end of every line...

Re:If only...

[ndansmith]

If only our politicians were a 1/10th of the man that he was.

No! Don't waste good men on politics!

Re:If only...

[Anonymous Coward]

If only our politicians were a 1/10th of the man that he was..

.. then we would vote against them, in favor of someone who has a better marketing department. Like we always do.

Re:Wow

[Svartalf]

Each morning it's brave to get up and go into that cruel, cruel world.

Each breath you take is one less to your last.

Each step or action you take is one less to your last.

The only difference with him and the rest of us was that he was revealed the sand left in the top of his hourglass.

If I were faced with this as he was, I could only hope to forge forward as he did.

Re:Q: How do you make a man into a god?

[Svartalf]

I would hesitate to claim him a "god".

He was a man. A good man in at least some ways.

A person has his failings and his strengths- and I suspect that you talk to those failings when you refer to the "not so good" stories about Randy Pausch.

Re:Prosper.

[harry666t]

> Everyone hug your kids or your parents or whomever
> is next to you (if that's allowed by your HR policy).

That's what I've been doing from the day one. Hugging has some mysterious power in it, if I can say it this way. However, many people seem not to like hugging. I think that people "simply" have a subconscious fear of fully giving and fully accepting love. There's not much you can help other people about this, unless: you really want to; the other person also really wants to; you know how to show empathy; you learned a bit about the psychology and stuff; you have much time. IANAP, at least not one with a paper that'd confirm any knowledge or skills - the stated opinions are just my own conclusions, and I try to help people only because I like doing it.

> You never know when your time is up.

It's not something that I would be afraid of. Death is a part of a natural cycle - you get born, you live, you die. Everyone either went through it, is going through it, or is going to go through it, and there are almost no escapes (the only way to "escape" would involve forcing an end of this cycle upon oneself anyway). If you're not scared of death, you're also not scared to truly live your life.

People associate death with pain, because that's what they usually see and feel when they see someone dying. Nobody likes pain. Pain sucks. The physical pain really sucks, but the psychical one, like the one we feel when we lose someone - must be the worst.

But the death itself?... No, I'm not afraid of dying.

Re:My dad too

[Dun Malg]

My father is also a professor (of civil engineering) and is dying of the same. He linked me this video - I'm afraid to watch it, afraid I'll break down.

Don't be afraid to break down. The classic Northern European stoicism isn't really all that healthy. The whole "real men don't cry" notion is ridiculous--- real men don't adhere to silly macho notions. Sad people cry. I friend of mine died last week from a bad reaction to a prescription drug. She left behind 3 young kids. The funeral was yesterday, and you better believe I was crying.

Re:You missed the point

[Migraineman]

Death is a fundamental part of life. Without death, no one would respect or value the life he has. Everyone will react to death differently. Some will be sad; others will celebrate the positive contributions.

As for the "time to show your weakness," I completely disagree. Dr. Pausch has a wife and three children. Did his terminal cancer suddenly absolve him of his responsibilities to them? This isn't about him satisfying some egotistical urge, it's about him providing future support for his family. His stories are entertaining, yes, but the entertainment aspect is the "head fake" to get his audience to listen to and comprehend the deeper philosophical message. He could have just blurted out "work hard, don't give up," but it wouldn't have had the same impact.

He has set the bar pretty high. I should hope to be as much a man as he.

Re:Q: How do you make a man into a god?

[Anonymous Coward]

roar roar flame flame flame roar roar flame

Re:Not buying this

[Cyclump]

Death does not have to be a time to be sad. He was given a great gift. He was given time. The reaper's hand was stayed long enough for him to do great things. He was given time to be with his family and to ensure they will know their father even though they may not remember him. He was given time to create something that has touched more people than he could have ever known. As someone who has survived cancer I choose to celebrate his life rather than to mourn his death. When I get home tonight I will raise a glass to Randy Pausch and bid him farewell into the great unknown.

Re:Prosper.

[ScrewMaster]

Couldn't agree more. Hugging is something I reserve for a certain set of people ... people I don't know or don't like just piss me off when they try to hug me.