Pianist Van Cliburn died Wednesday at age 78 of bone cancer, his publicist confirms. The music legend became famous in 1958 at the young age of 23 when he won an international piano competition in Moscow at the height of the Cold War, returning home to a parade in his honor and the beginning of five decades of fame.
"Van Cliburn was an international legend for over five decades, a great humanitarian and a brilliant musician whose light will continue to shine through his extraordinary legacy," publicist Mary Lou Falcone said in a statement. "He will be missed by all who knew and admired him, and by countless people he never met."
Harvey Lavan Cliburn took his nickname from his middle name. Born in Louisiana in 1934, he came into the public eye when he won the first International Tchaikovsky Competition, held in Moscow in 1958 as the Cold War raged. Though just 23, in a sense he had been preparing for the contest for a decade, making his orchestral debut in Houston at age 12, entering Juilliard at 17, and playing Carnegie Hall at 20. ...
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