Stephen Hawking dies at 76

Professor Stephen Hawking, the physicist who became one of the most famous scientists in the world, has died at the age of 76.

His family said he died peacefully at his home in Cambridge in the early hours of 14 March.

A brilliant mind

Hawking made important discoveries about black holes and the origins of the universe. In the 1970s, he showed that black holes are not completely black, but should give off radiation, now known as Hawking radiation, and could eventually evaporate.

His work brought together Einstein's general theory of relativity and quantum theory, two of the great ideas of modern physics.

He was Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge for 30 years, a post once held by Isaac Newton.

Living with illness

At the age of 21, Hawking was diagnosed with motor neurone disease and given only a few years to live. He defied the prognosis, living for more than five decades with the condition.

He gradually lost the use of almost all his muscles, and used a wheelchair. After losing his voice in 1985, he communicated through a computer speech synthesiser, whose distinctive voice became famous around the world.

A Brief History of Time

Hawking became a household name with his book A Brief History of Time, published in 1988, which explained complex ideas about the universe to a general audience. It sold more than ten million copies.

He appeared in television programmes including The Simpsons and Star Trek, and his life was the subject of the 2014 film The Theory of Everything, in which he was played by Eddie Redmayne.

Tributes

Tributes have been paid by scientists, politicians and members of the public from around the world. The Prime Minister, Theresa May, described him as a brilliant and extraordinary mind.

His children said he was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years.

Warnings for the future

In recent years, Hawking spoke out on issues including artificial intelligence, climate change and the future of the NHS. He warned that humanity would need to find a new home in space in the long term.

Hawking was born in Oxford in 1942, on the 300th anniversary of Galileo's death. He died on Albert Einstein's birthday.