Stephen Hawking Dead at age 76
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World renowned scientist Stephen Hawking has died at the age of 76. He died peacefully in Cambridge in his house early this Wednesday morning. He was famed for his knowledge of black holes and relativity and wrote several incredibly popular books around his theories.
His most famous was A Brief History of Time.
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. Stephen Hawking, RIP 1942-2018. pic.twitter.com/nAanMySqkt
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) March 14, 2018
At the age of 22, Prof Hawking was given only a handful of years to live after being diagnosed with a rare motor neurone disease. The illness left him in a wheelchair, only able to speak through a voice synthesiser. He has been immortalised in numerous TV shows including The Simpsons, Big Bang Theory and even Star Trek in the 90s.
In loving memory of Stephen Hawking. It was an honor to have him on The #BigBangTheory. Thank you for inspiring us and the world. pic.twitter.com/9rWoYqIToy
— The Big Bang Theory (@bigbangtheory) March 14, 2018
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.”
Prof Hawking was an incredible mathematician and set out a theory of cosmology as a union of two forms of science, relativity and quantum mechanics. Another discovery he made was that if there was a Big Bang that began everything, it would have started at a single point – a singularity.
Professor Hawking was and will remain a marvel of human tenacity. Refusing to be defeated by a disease he rose to become one of the greatest names in the science of our generation. He won prizes like the Albert Einstein Award, the Wolf Prize, the Copley medal.
A great man, who, while may not have been perfect, will definitely be missed.