Paul Carbone, former director of the UW-Madison Comprehensive Cancer Center, died of a heart attack Friday in Singapore.

Carbone came to UW in 1976, where he served as head of Clinical Oncology at the Medical School. He served as chair of the Department of Human Oncology from 1977-87 and also as the second director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center from 1978-97.

Since his retirement, Carbone was serving as emeritus director of the UWCCC and as associate dean for the Medical School’s HealthStar campaign to raise funds for the new Medical School Health Sciences Learning Center and Interdisciplinary Research Complex.

He was in Singapore assisting the National University of Singapore in the development of a comprehensive cancer program.

Under Carbone’s leadership, the UWCCC helped cancer outreach and educational activity throughout Wisconsin.

“Dr. Carbone has been a tireless advocate for the Medical School in the community and throughout the state, and his loss saddens us all,” Philip Farrell, dean of the Medical School and vice chancellor of medical sciences said.

Carbone received national recognition for his work in the treatment and cure of Hodgkin’s disease and development of new chemotherapy drugs. He was also recognized for his work in developing additional treatments for breast cancer, for which he shared the Lasker Prize for Medicine in 1972.

“Paul Carbone was one of the most thoughtful, attentive and caring cancer physicians I have known,” John Niederhuber, director of the UWCCC said. “He touched the lives of many students, faculty colleagues and patients, not only here at the University of Wisconsin but around the world. I will personally miss his wise counsel and the privilege of working with him each Wednesday afternoon in clinic.”