Famous "Last Lecture" Professor with Pancreatic Cancer Has Died

"Randy Pausch (October 23, 1960 – July 25, 2008) was an American professor of computer science, human-computer interaction and design at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and a best-selling author who achieved worldwide fame for his "The Last Lecture" speech on September 18, 2007 at Carnegie Mellon."


WSJ video

The Wikipedia page about professor Pausch details his disease course from the regular updates on his website:

"In August 2006, Pausch was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He pursued a very aggressive cancer treatment that included Whipple procedure surgery and experimental chemotherapy; however, in August 2007 he was told the cancer had metastasized to his liver and spleen, which meant it was terminal. He then started palliative chemotherapy, intended 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 and some lymph nodes in his chest, and that he had some metastases in his peritoneum and retroperitoneum.

On June 26, Pausch indicated that he was considering stopping further chemotherapy because of the potential adverse side effects. He was, however, considering some immuno-therapy-based approaches.

On July 24, on behalf of Pausch, a friend anonymously posted a message on Pausch's webpage stating that a biopsy had indicated that the cancer had progressed further than what was expected from recent PET scans and that Pausch had "taken a step down" and was "much sicker than he had been." The friend also stated that Pausch was "now enrolled" in a hospice program designed to provide palliative care to those at the end of life."

References:
Professor with pancreatic cancer gives his last lesson on life, 09/2007.
YouTube's star lecturer dies at 47. CNN.
A Son's Photo Journal of His Aging Father's Decline - Photo Essays - TIME http://goo.gl/RVCt