Discovered The Link Between Gravity And Quantum Theory

Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking has Gone West at the age of 76, some 50 years older that physicians expected him to live.

National Geographic reports that Hawking was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also called Lou Gehrig's disease, in 1963. But while the degenerative disease took away his ability to walk, and later mostly move and even to speak, he became one of the most recognized scientists in the world. He was the author of several books about space, time and the cosmos. But perhaps his greatest achievement was simply to persevere through his adversity and become the man he was, said British astrophysicist Martin Rees.

Hawking was able to show that the universe began as a singularity ... a infinitely dense point of space-time. He wrote on his website that he and mathematical physicist Roger Penrose showed that Einstein's General Theory of Relativity "implied space and time would have a beginning in the big bang and an end in black holes," and that "the way the universe began was completely determined by the laws of science."

He first gained widespread recognition when he published "A Brief History of Time" in 1988. He seemed to enjoy his celebrity, appearing in a six-part television series "Stephen Hawking's Universe", on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" as a hologram of himself, as an animated character in "The Simpsons" and several guest appearances on "The Big Bang Theory".

"He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years," Hawking's children Lucy, Robert, and Tim said in a statement. "His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humor inspired people across the world."

(Image from file)

FMI: Original report