London: Stephen Hawking, the legendary British theoretical physicist who explored the mysteries of the universe from his wheelchair and went on to become an inspiring figure globally, died on Wednesday at his home in Cambridge.
His family said that Hawking, 76, died peacefully in his home near Cambridge University, where he did much of his ground-breaking work on black holes and relativity.
Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert and Tim said in a statement: "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. His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world," the statement said.
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British scientist Stephen Hawking passes away
British astrophysician Stephen Hawking next to his wife Elaine Mason arrives before a press conference to present his latest book, 'God Created the Integers: The Mathematical Breakthroughs That Changed History', 06 May 2006 in Paris.
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British scientist Stephen Hawking passes away
Stephen Hawking experiences zero gravity 26 April 2007 during a flight over the Atlantic Ocean. 'It was amazing ... I could have gone on and on,' Hawking, 65, said after riding for two hours on a modified jet that flew a rollercoaster trajectory to create the impression of microgravity.
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British scientist Stephen Hawking passes away
Pope Francis greets physicist Stephen Hawking during an audience with participants at a plenary session of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, at the Vatican, on November 28, 2016.
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British scientist Stephen Hawking passes away
Former South African President Nelson Mandela, right, meets with British scientist Professor Stephen Hawking, left, in Johannesburg, Thursday, May 15, 2008.
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British scientist Stephen Hawking passes away
Stephen Hawking and his daughter Lucy arrive at the British Academy of Film and Arts (BAFTA) awards ceremony at the Royal Opera House in London February 8, 2015.
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British scientist Stephen Hawking passes away
Astrophysicist Stephen Hawking is assisted off the tarmac at the Kennedy Space Center by his carer, Monica Guy, as he is applauded by members of the flight crew after completing a zero-gravity flight in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (April 26, 2007 file photo)
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British scientist Stephen Hawking passes away
British scientist Stephen Hawking who has decoded some of the most puzzling mysteries of the universe passed away on Wednesday. The physicist and cosmologist was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, or motor neuron disease, when he was a 21-year-old student at Cambridge University.
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"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 for ever," it said.
Hawking was born in Oxford, England, on January 8 -- the 300th anniversary of the death of astronomer and physicist Galileo Galilei.
Click to see an interactive timeline of Stephen Hawking's life
Hawking suffered from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a neurodegenerative disease commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, which is usually fatal within a few years. He was diagnosed in 1963, when he was 21, and doctors initially only gave him a few years to live.
But he went on to study at Cambridge and became one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists since Albert Einstein.
The disease left Hawking wheelchair-bound and paralysed. He was able to move only a few fingers on one hand and was completely dependent on others or on technology for virtually everything -- bathing, dressing, eating, even speech.
Known for his unique way of speaking while living his life in a wheelchair, Hawking became an emblem of human determination and curiosity.
Hawking's first major breakthrough came in 1970, when he and Roger Penrose applied the mathematics of black holes to the entire universe and showed that a singularity, a region of infinite curvature in space-time, lay in our distant past: the point from which came the big bang.
Hawking's seminal contributions continued through the 1980s. The theory of cosmic inflation holds that the fledgling universe went through a period of terrific expansion. In 1982, Hawking was among the first to show how quantum fluctuations tiny variations in the distribution of matter might give rise through inflation to the spread of galaxies in the universe.
But it was 'A Brief History of Time' that rocketed Hawking to stardom. Published for the first time in 1988, the title made the Guinness Book of Records after it stayed on the Sunday Times bestsellers list for an unprecedented 237 weeks. It sold 10 million copies and was translated into 40 different languages.
Hawking won the Albert Einstein Award, the Wolf Prize, the Copley Medal, and the Fundamental Physics Prize. The Nobel prize, however, eluded him.
Despite being a British citizen he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the US's highest civilian honor, in 2009 by president Barack Obama.
He was the subject of the 2014 film 'The Theory Of Everything', which starred Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones.
Hawking once said, I want to show that people need not be limited by physical handicaps as long as they are not disabled in spirit.
Hawking leaves behind three children and three grandchildren, according to his website.
