The renowned U.S. classical pianist Van Cliburn, whose triumph at a Moscow competition helped thaw the Cold War and launched a spectacular international career, has died. He was 78.

His publicist and longtime friend Mary Lou Falcone told The Associated Press that Cliburn died Wednesday morning after suffering from bone cancer.

She'd announced in late August that Cliburn had been diagnosed with advanced cancer and was being cared for at his Texas home.

Cliburn skyrocketed to fame in 1958 after winning the first International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow at age 23. He returned to a New York ticker tape parade, a first for a classical musician.

He's performed for every U.S. president since Harry Truman, and for years devoted his time to the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.