A GRIEF HISTORY OF TIME Hundreds mourn Prof Stephen Hawking
THE stars came out to pay their last respects to cosmologist Professor Stephen Hawking yesterday as the world said a final goodbye to one of its greatest ever scientists.
Actors, musicians, models and comedians were among the many mourners at the professor’s funeral in his beloved hometown Cambridge.
Hundreds more lined the streets to bid farewell to the iconic physicist, who battled motor neurone disease, explored the mysteries of space and wrote the best-seller A Brief History of Time.
Prof Hawking’s family had said they wanted to hold the funeral “in the city that he loved so much and which loved him”. And the city did him proud.
APPLAUSE
The crowd fell silent as the church bell tolled 76 times – once for each year of Professor Hawking’s life.
Then spontaneous applause broke out as six porters from his former Cambridge college, Gonville and Caius, carried his coffin into the church.
Following behind were members of the professor’s family, including first wife Jane Hellyer Jones, 74, children Robert, 50, Lucy, 47, and Tim, 38, and two of his grand- children. Tributes of white lilies and roses represented the universe and the polar star. Earlier, film star Eddie Redmayne arrived at the University Church of Great St Mary’s. Eddie, 36, who won an Oscar playing the professor in movie Theory of Everything, read a bible passage. Other guests included model Lily Cole, 30, Queen guitarist Brian May, 70, actress Anita Dobson, 68, and comedian Dara O’Briain, 46. The private service included space-themed music called Beyond The Night Sky, composed especially for the Prof.
Outside well-wishers came from all over the world. Borko Borojevic, 62, had travelled from Croatia. He said: “He has been such an inspiration. It means a lot to say goodbye.”
Professor Hawking died in March, 55 years after he was given two years to live.
His ashes will be interred at Westminster Abbey in June.