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Pianist Van Cliburn performing in the final round of the Tchaikovsky International Piano & Violin competition in Moscow on April 11, 1958. 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 died early Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, at his Fort Worth home following a battle with bone cancer. He was 78. (AP Photo, file)

U.S. President Barack Obama congratulates musician Van Cliburn after presenting him with the 2010 National Medal of Arts, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, on March 2, 2011 in Washington, DC. President Obama presented the 2010 National Medal of Arts and National Humanities Medal to 20 honorees (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Pianist Van Cliburn after performing with the Boston Symphony Orchestra on July 12, 2003 as the Orchestra plays "Happy Birthday," on his 69th birthday at Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, file)

U.S. President George W. Bush (R) talks to pianist Van Cliburn after presenting Cliburn with a Presidential Medal of Freedom during an East Room event at the White House on July 23, 2003 in Washington, DC. Cliburn was honored as a skilled musician and for his contributions to the arts. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Van Cliburn and U.S. First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton hold hands after his performance at the state dinner for Prime Minister Obuchi of Japan on May 3, 1999. (Photo By Pool/Getty Images)

US pianist Van Cliburn on 27th May 1963. American Classical Pianist Van Cliburn, 78, died of bone cancer on February 27, 2013 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Evening Standard/Getty Images)

Pianist Van Cliburn arrives at the annual Kennedy Center Honors Gala on December 2, 2001 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Cliburn is one of the five recipients honored. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Pianist Van Cliburn at the presentation ceremony of the Liberty Medal that was presented to former President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev in Philadelphia on Sept. 18, 2008. 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 died early Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, at his Fort Worth home following a battle with bone cancer. (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek, file)

Pianist Van Cliburn performing for the American Association of School Administrators at the Convention Hall in Atlantic, City, N.J on Feb. 19, 1959. 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 died early Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013, at his Fort Worth home following a battle with bone cancer. He was 78. (AP Photo, file)