Stephen Hawking, British theoretical physicist and professor at the University of Cambridge has died at the age of 76. He passed away peacefully at his Cambridge home early in the morning, according to a statement from his family.
Hawking was most well-known for his contributions to black holes and relativity. He is considered to be one of the most influential scientists of the twenty first century.
Hawking was born on Jan. 8, 1942 in Oxford, United Kingdom. He obtained his B.A. from Oxford University and Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge.
In 1963 at the age of 21, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease. The neurodegenerative disease leaves the brain incapable of controlling muscles.
Doctors expected Hawking to live only a few years after the initial diagnosis. He survived for another 55 years.
He was left paralyzed, unable to speak, and completely dependent on other people and technology to perform basic tasks. He was able to communicate through a speech synthesizer and was bound to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
Hawking specifically requested that his tombstone have his famous formula for black hole entropy. The equation represents the concept that came to be known as Hawking radiation, which explained that black holes emit black body radiation.
The formula was considered a breakthrough in our understanding of black holes and a major contribution to the scientific field.
Nine years after discovering that black holes emit radiation, he became a Lucasian professor of Mathematics at the university of Cambridge – a title previously held by influential Mathematician Sir Isaac Newton.
He released ‘A Brief History of Time’ in 1988, a book that explained the fundamentals of physics and human existence. It sold ten million copies.
Hawking held a total of thirteen honorary degrees and was awarded multiple medals and prizes in his lifetime, according to his website.
Fellow scientists have paid tribute to Stephen Hawking in response to his passing. In a Twitter post, American astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson wrote “His passing has left an intellectual vacuum in his wake. But it’s not empty. Think of it as a kind of vacuum energy permeating the fabric of spacetime that defies measure.”
Hawking is survived by three children: Lucy, Robert, and Tim. “We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today,” they said in a statement. “He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years. His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humor inspired people across the world.”
