British Scientist Stephen Hawkings Dies

British Scientist Stephen Hawkings Dies

According to BBC, the sad news was confirmed by his children, Lucy, Robert and Tim, who wrote about his “courage and persistence,” and how positively he shaped the world with his genius.

“We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today,” they wrote in the statement. “He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years.”

“He once said, ‘It would not be much of a universe if it wasn’t home to the people you love.’ We will miss him forever,” they said.

The theoretical physicist was famous for his groundbreaking work with black holes and relativity, and he authored several science books, including A Brief History of Time. And in 2014, his story was told in the award-winning movie, The Theory of Everything, starring Eddie Redmayne.

See some of the facts about the late scientist, as told by BBC:

• Born 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, was diagnosed with motor neurone disease and given two years to live
• Outlined his theory that black holes emit “Hawking radiation” in 1974
• Published his book A Brief History of Time in 1988, which has sold more than 10 million copies

Stephen Hawkings was 76.