Stephen Hawking, the brilliant British theoretical physicist who overcame a debilitating disease to publish wildly popular books probing the mysteries of the universe, has died, according to a family spokesman. He was 76.
At the age of 22 Stephen Hawking was given only a few years to live after being diagnosed with a rare form of motor neurone disease.
"We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today," a family statement said.
The illness left him wheelchair-bound and largely unable to speak except through a voice synthesiser.
His family said that he died peacefully in his home near Cambridge University, where he did much of his ground-breaking work on black holes.
He was considered by many to be the world's greatest living scientist, Hawking was also a cosmologist, astronomer, mathematician and author of numerous books including the landmark "A Brief History of Time," which has sold more than 10 million copies.
In the statement his children, Lucy, Robert and Tim said: "He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years."
Hawking used a speech synthesizer that allowed him to speak in a computerized voice with an American accent.
"I try to lead as normal a life as possible, and not think about my condition, or regret the things it prevents me from doing, which are not that many," he wrote on his website.
"I have been lucky that my condition has progressed more slowly than is often the case. But it shows that one need not lose hope."
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