Van Cliburn: Renowned pianist dies of cancer at 78

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Van Cliburn, the internationally celebrated pianist whose triumph at a 1958 Moscow competition helped thaw the Cold War and launched a spectacular career that made him the rare classical musician to enjoy rock-star status, has died. He was 78.

Mr. Cliburn died early Wednesday at his Fort Worth home surrounded by loved ones following a battle with bone cancer, said publicist and longtime friend Mary Lou Falcone.

Mr. Cliburn made what would be his last public appearance in September at the 50th anniversary of the prestigious piano competition named for him. Speaking to the audience in Fort Worth, he saluted the many past contestants, the orchestra and the city.

“Never forget: I love you all from the bottom of my heart, forever,” he said to a roaring standing ovation.

Mr. Cliburn skyrocketed to fame when he won the first International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow at age 23 in 1958, six months after the Soviets’ launch of Sputnik 1 satellite embarrassed the U.S. and propelled the world into the space age. He triumphantly returned to a New York City ticker-tape parade — the first ever for a classical musician — and a Time magazine cover proclaimed him “The Texan Who Conquered Russia.”

But the win also proved the power of the arts, bringing unity in the midst of strong rivalry. Despite the tension between the nations, Mr. Cliburn became a hero to music-loving Soviets who clamored to see him perform, and Premier Nikita Khrushchev reportedly gave the go-ahead for the judges to honor a foreigner: “Is Cliburn the best? Then give him first prize.”

In the years that followed, Mr. Cliburn‘s popularity soared, and the young man from the small East Texas town of Kilgore sold out concerts, caused riots when spotted in public and even prompted an Elvis Presley fan club to change its name to his. His recording of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 with Russian conductor Kirill Kondrashin became the first classical album to reach platinum status.

Time magazine’s 1958 cover story quoted a friend as saying Mr. Cliburn could become “the first man in history to be a Horowitz, Liberace and Presley all rolled into one.”

Mr. Cliburn performed for royalty and heads of state in Europe, Asia and South America, and for every U.S. president since Harry Truman.

“Since we know that classical music is timeless and everlasting, it is precisely the eternal verities inherent in classical music that remain a spiritual beacon for people all over the world,” Mr. Cliburn once said.

But he also used his skill and fame to help other young musicians through the Van Cliburn International Music Competition.

Created by a group of Fort Worth teachers and citizens in 1962, the competition, held every four years, remains a pre-eminent showcase for the world’s top pianists. An amateur contest was added in 1999.

“It is a forum for young artists to celebrate the great works of the piano literature and an opportunity to expose their talents to a wide-ranging international audience,” Mr. Cliburn said during the 10th competition in 1997.

President George W. Bush presented Mr. Cliburn with the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the nation’s highest civilian honor — in 2003. In 2004, he received the Order of Friendship of the Russian Federation from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“I still have lots of friends in Russia,” Mr. Cliburn said at the time. “It’s always a great pleasure to talk to older people in Russia, to hear their anecdotes.”

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