Stephen Hawking, the British theoretical physicist known for his groundbreaking work with black holes and relativity, died on Wednesday (14th March) at the age of 76. He died of complications due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a progressive neurodegenerative disease.
Hawking was the author of several popular science books, including A Brief History of Time.
Know more about this iconic scientist
- He was born on 8 January, 1942, in Oxford, England
- Earned place at Oxford University to read natural science in 1959, before studying for his PhD at Cambridge
- By 1963, he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease. He was given two years to live
- Outlined his theory in 1974 that black holes emit "Hawking radiation"
- Published his book 'A Brief History of Time' in 1988, which has sold more than 10 million copies
- In 2011, Hawking appeared on the Discovery Channel TV series 'Curiosity', in which he reflected on the origins of the universe and rejected the likelihood of both a God and an afterlife. Only in confronting the finite nature of death, he said, do we appreciate the remarkable beauty of life in the present.
- Hawking's life story was the subject of the 2014 film 'The Theory of Everything', starring Eddie Redmayne
Pearls of wisdom
"However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. It matters that you don't just give up."- Hawking on his 70th birthday
"We have this one life to appreciate the grand design of the universe," Hawking once remarked, "and for that, I am extremely grateful."
Family
In addition to his two former wives, Hawking is survived by three children and three grandchildren.
His children, Lucy, Robert and Tim, said: "We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today. He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years."
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