Stephen Hawking dies; world loses its brightest star
Shaped modern cosmology and inspired millions despite suffering from a life-threatening condition
LONDON/NEW DELHI: Renowned British physicist Professor Stephen Hawking, who shaped modern cosmology and inspired millions despite suffering from a life-threatening condition, died on Wednesday -- leaving millions in mourning globally. He was 76.
His family released a statement in the early hours of Wednesday confirming his death at his home in Cambridge.
“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,” Hawking’s children said in a statement.
“His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world. 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,” the statement added.
Hawking is survived by three children — Robert, Lucy and Timothy — from his first marriage to Jane Wilde, and three grandchildren.
The physicist was born on January 8, 1942, in Oxford, England.
Known the world over for his acclaimed book “A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes”, Hawking was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) — a progressive neuro-degenerative disease — in 1963 at age 21, The Guardian newspaper said.
Hawking’s doctors gave him nearly two years to live, but he defied medical history and survived for decades.
For the rest of his life, the physicist used a wheelchair to move around and a speech synthesizer that allowed him to speak in a computerised voice with an American accent.
For Hawking, the early diagnosis of his terminal disease ignited a fresh sense of purpose.
“Although there was a cloud hanging over my future, I found, to my surprise, that I was enjoying life in the present more than before. I began to make progress with my research,” he once said, the paper reported.
Hawking is survived by three children — Robert, Lucy and Timothy — from his first marriage to Jane Wilde, and three grandchildren
“My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all,” Hawking added.
With fellow physicist Roger Penrose, Hawking merged Einstein’s theory of relativity with quantum theory, suggesting that space and time began with the Big Bang and ended in black holes.
In 1974, Hawking proposed what is known as his most significant theory that black holes can emit sub-atomic particles.
Published for the first time in 1988, “A Brief History of Time” stayed on the Sunday Times bestsellers list for an unprecedented 237 weeks. It sold 10 million copies and was translated into 40 different languages.
Hailed as one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists since Albert Einstein, Hawking never won a Nobel Prize.
In India, President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Science Minister Harsh Vardhan condoled the demise of Hawking.
“Sad to hear of the passing of scientist Stephen Hawking. His brilliant mind made our world and our universe a less mysterious place. And his courage and resilience will remain an inspiration for generations,” Kovind said in a tweet.
Modi also took to Twitter to pay tribute to Hawking and said: “Professor Stephen Hawking was an outstanding scientist and academic”.
For legendary astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, who redefined cosmology by proposing that black holes are mortal, the Nobel Prize for Physics remained elusive as his theory can not be observed or verified.
Even though his theory is now firmly accepted in theoretical physics, there was no way to verify if black holes are mortal, according to Timothy Ferris, author of 'The Science of Liberty'.
"Black holes are too longlived to be observed on Wednesday in their death throes," Ferris wrote in The National Geographic.
Hawking, known for his work on black holes and relativity, died peacefully in his home near Cambridge University in the UK at the age of 76.
He was regarded as one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists since Albert Einstein.
"Hawking probably would have won the prize had nature provided observational confirmation. But that won't happen for billions of years, not until the first star-size black holes start exploding," according to Ferris.
The Nobel Prize can not be awarded posthumously.
It was in 1970, Hawking had an idea that filled him with what he later described as a "moment of ecstasy."
He thought that black holes, previously assumed to be more or less immortal, could instead slowly lose mass and eventually evaporate, exploding in a flash of gamma rays.
The eminent scientist's black hole research is now firmly embedded in theoretical physics. It united relativity (a classical theory, in which everything is smooth as silk) with quantum mechanics (in which everything is grainy) and spurred progress in information theory. While Hawking may not have won the coveted Nobel Prize, he, however, has over a dozen honorary degrees and was awarded the Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1982 and the Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1985.
He was also a fellow of the Royal Society and a member of the US National Academy of Science.
The world-famous physicist and cosmologist was the subject of the 2014 film 'The Theory Of Everything', which starred Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones.