Randy Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon computer science professor whobecame a national celebrity last year after a lecture he gave became a viral video sensation, died today of complications from pancreatic cancer, CMU reported. He was 47.

Last September, when Pausch delivered the talk, he believed he had less than six months to live, a fact which added gravitas to the spirited, pithy address about the merits of perseverance.

Pausch turned the address into a book, which became a runaway best-seller when it was released in April and remains in the top 20 books on Amazon.com.

Back then, Pausch told Wired.com, "We're clawing for every extra month we can get. Realistically, I hope to get two to four more months."

More