Randy Pausch emphasized the joy of life in his "last lecture," originally given in September 2007.
Pausch died
at his home in Virginia, university spokeswoman Anne Watzman said.
Pausch and his family moved there last fall to be closer to his wife's
relatives.
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. 
Watch Pausch talk to his class »
"The lecture was for my kids, but if others are finding value in it,
that is wonderful," Pausch wrote on his Web site. "But rest assured;
I'm hardly unique."
The book "The Last Lecture," written with
Jeffrey Zaslow, leaped to the top of the nonfiction best-seller lists
after its publication in April and remains there this week. Pausch said
he dictated the book to Zaslow, a Wall Street Journal writer, by cell
phone. The book deal was reported to be worth more than $6 million.
At Carnegie Mellon, he was a professor of computer science,
human-computer interaction and design, and was recognized as a pioneer
of virtual reality research. On campus, he became known for his
flamboyance and showmanship as a teacher and mentor.
The speech
last fall was part of a series Carnegie Mellon called "The Last
Lecture," where professors were asked to think about what matters to
them most and give a hypothetical final talk. The name of the lecture
series was changed to "Journeys" before Pausch spoke, something he
joked about in his lecture.
"I thought, damn, I finally nailed the venue and they renamed it," he said.
He told the packed auditorium he fulfilled almost all his childhood
dreams -- being in zero gravity, writing an article in the World Book
Encyclopedia and working with the Walt Disney Co.
The one that eluded him? Playing in the National Football League.
"If I don't seem as depressed or morose as I should be, sorry to disappoint you," Pausch said.
He then joked about his quirky hobby of winning stuffed animals at
amusement parks -- another of his childhood dreams -- and how his
mother introduced him to people to keep him humble: "This is my son,
he's a doctor, but not the kind that helps people."
Pausch said
he was embarrassed and flattered by the popularity of his message.
Millions viewed the complete or abridged version of the lecture, titled
"Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," online.
Pausch lobbied
Congress for more federal funding for pancreatic cancer research and
appeared on "Oprah" and other TV shows. In what he called "a truly
magical experience," he was even invited to appear as an extra in the
new "Star Trek" movie.
He had one line of dialogue, got to keep his costume and donated his $217.06 paycheck to charity.
Pausch blogged regularly about his medical treatment. On Feb. 15,
exactly six months after he was told he had three to six months of
healthy living left, Pausch posted a photo of himself to show he was
"still alive & healthy."
"I rode my bike today; the
cumulative effects of the chemotherapy are hurting my stamina some, but
I bet I can still run a quarter mile faster than most Americans," he
wrote.
Pausch gave one more lecture after his Carnegie Mellon
appearance -- in November at the University of Virginia, where he had
taught from 1988 to 1997.
Pausch often emphasized the need to have fun.
"I mean I don't know how to not have fun. I'm dying and I'm having fun.
And I'm going to keep having fun every day I have left. Because there's
no other way to play it," he said in his Carnegie Mellon lecture. "You
just have to decide if you're a Tigger or an Eeyore. I think I'm clear
where I stand on the great Tigger/Eeyore debate. Never lose the
childlike wonder. It's just too important. It's what drives us."
Born in 1960, Pausch received his bachelor's degree in computer science
from Brown University and his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon.
He
co-founded Carnegie Mellon's Entertainment Technology Center, a
master's program for bringing artists and engineers together. The
university named a footbridge in his honor. He also created an
animation-based teaching program for high school and college students
to have fun while learning computer programming.
In February, the Academy of
Interactive Arts & Sciences in California announced the creation of
the Dr. Randy Pausch Scholarship Fund for university students who
pursue careers in game design, development and production.
He and his wife, Jai, had three children, Dylan, Logan and Chloe.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.