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World renowned physicist Stephen Hawking has died at the age of 76.
He died peacefully at his home in Cambridge in the early hours of Wednesday, his family said.
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.
Stephen Hawking, who was born in 1942, studied physics in Oxford and later went on to Cambridge for his postgraduate research in cosmology.
With fellow physicist Roger Penrose, Hawking merged Einstein's theory of relativity with quantum theory to suggest that space and time would begin with the Big Bang and end in black holes. Hawking also discovered that black holes are not completely black but emit radiation and will likely eventually evaporate and disappear.
The Briton was known for his work with black holes and relativity, and wrote several popular science books including A Brief History of Time.
At the age of 22 Prof Hawking was given only a few years to live after being diagnosed with a rare form of motor neurone disease.
At the age of 22, he was diagnosed with a rare form of motor neurone disease. As he was preparing to marry his first wife Jane (pictured), doctors predicted he did not have long to live. They were married for 26 years and went on to have three children together.
The illness left him in a wheelchair and largely unable to speak except through a voice synthesiser.
"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."
A book of condolence is due to be opened at Conville and Caius College in Cambridge, where Prof Hawking was a fellow.
The world-famous physicist often delivered lectures at universities around the world, like this one he gave at the George Washington University in 2008.
Prof Hawking was the first to set out a theory of cosmology as a union of relativity and quantum mechanics.
In 2007 Hawking became the first quadriplegic to experience weightlessness on board a plane specially designed to simulate zero gravity. "I think the human race has no future if it doesn't go into space," he then said.
He also discovered that black holes leak energy and fade to nothing - a phenomenon that would later become known as Hawking radiation.
Through his work with mathematician Sir Roger Penrose he demonstrated that Einstein's General Theory of Relativity implies space and time would have a beginning in the Big Bang and an end in black holes.
He won many awards in the fields of mathematics and science and in 2009, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by then-US President Barack Obama.
In September 2016 Hawking joined 375 "concerned" scientists in penning an open letter criticizing then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, citing the threat of climate change and blasting his push for the US to leave the Paris Accord.
Hawking says he likes and admires the US but fears he may not be welcome in Trump's America.
He also went on to meet Queen Elizabeth in 2014 during a charity event at St James' Palace.
In 2017, Hawking spoke to an audience in Hong Kong by hologram, beamed live from his office in Cambridge.
The scientist gained popularity outside the academic world and appeared in several TV shows including The Simpsons, Red Dwarf and The Big Bang Theory.
He was portrayed in both TV and film - recently by Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything, which charted his rise to fame and relationship with his first wife, Jane.
Stephen Hawking was portrayed on TV and film by Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne
His life story was made into a 2014 film, The Theory of Everything, starring Eddie Redmayne who is pictured here with Hawking.
Hawking was married twice. He and his first wife, Jane Wilde, wed when he was still a grad student and remained together for 30 years before divorcing in 1995. Hawking was later married for 11 years to Elaine Mason, one of his former nurses.
Hawking and his first wife Jane Wilde
Hawking later went on to marry one of his nurses, Elaine Mason, in 1995. They were married for 11 years before they divorced.
Hawking leaves behind three children and three grandchildren, according to his website.
"We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today," Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert and Tim, said in a statement. "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 humor 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."
(BBC & CNN)
