World-renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking died at his home in Cambridge, England at the age of 76.
Despite suffering from ALS, a motor disease that left his body paralyzed at the age of 21, the mastermind defied all odds and made significant scientific contributions to the world that will be highly regarded for generations to come.
Hawking’s search to find the “theory of everything” led him to write the international bestseller A Brief History of Time.
“Our goal is a complete understanding of the events around us, and of our own existence,” he wrote in his book. While he may have not been able to answer all his questions, he has sparked curiosity in future minds to seek out those answers.
Cosmologist Stephen Hawking in Princeton, New Jersey, 1979.
His utter fascination with space and time, while suffering with a incurable condition for more than 50 years, inspired the 2014 biopic movie The Theory of Everything, starring Eddie Redmayne as the brilliant mind himself.
With the tragic news of his death, his family, actors, fans, and coworkers are remembering the beloved man:
“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. His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humor inspired people across the world,” his children Lucy, Robert and Tim said in a statement. “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.”
Renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson also paid tribute to the cosmologist on Twitter:
“His passing has left an intellectual vacuum in his wake. But it’s not empty. Think of it as a kind of vacuum energy permeating the fabric of spacetime that defies measure. Stephen Hawking, RIP 1942-2018.”
Oscar winner Redmayne spent a lot of time with the physicist before he died, and has also expressed his condolences:
“We have lost a truly beautiful mind, an astonishing scientist and the funniest man I have ever had the pleasure to meet. My love and thoughts are with his extraordinary family.”
Hawking has offered plenty of wisdom to better understand this universe, but it’s his recent doomsday prediction that’s got a lot of people talking…
Hawking believes human’s won’t be able to survive on Earth for very long. To ensure our survival, we must find other planets to inhabit, before it’s too late.
“This exponential growth cannot continue into the next millennium,” he said in late 2017, according to GeekWire. “By the year 2600, the world’s population would be standing shoulder to shoulder, and the electricity consumption would make the Earth glow red-hot.”
“Such a system could reach Mars in less than an hour, or reach Pluto in days, pass Voyager in under a week, and reach Alpha Centauri in just over 20 years,” he continued.
This idea may sound crazy to some, but it’s actually not too far-fetched. CEO of SpaceX, Elon Musk, is planning to send humans to Mars in less than a decade.
RIP great legend. Your struggle and brilliant mind will never be forgotten.