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Pianist Van Cliburn dies of cancer at 78

The Associated Press

February 28, 2013

FORT WORTH — For a time in Cold War America, Van Cliburn had all the trappings of a rock star: sold-out concerts, adoring, out-of-control fans and a name recognized worldwide.

And he did it all with only a piano and some Tchaikovsky concertos.

Cliburn, who died Wednesday at 78 after fighting bone cancer, was “a great humanitarian and a brilliant musician whose light will continue to shine through his extraordinary legacy,” said his publicist and longtime friend Mary Lou Falcone.

The young man from Kilgore was a baby-faced 23-year-old when he won the first International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow just six months after the Soviets’ launch of Sputnik embarrassed the U.S. and inaugurated the space race.

The Daily Texan

The Daily Texan

The Daily Texan

Pianist Van Cliburn dies of cancer at 78

The Daily Texan