Stephen Hawking, arguably the greatest-ever theoretical physicist since the times of legendary Albert Einstein, passed away small hours of Wednesday, a statement from his family said.

The British scientist, best known for his work on black holes and relativity, was 76 when he breathed his last and survived by his children Lucy, Robert and Tim. “He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years,” his children 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 humour 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.”

A rare form of motor neurone disease - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS – that he suffered from since the age of 22, left Hawking wheelchair-bound and unable to speak except through a voice synthesiser, specially created for him. The doctors then gave him just one year to survive.

Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge, Hawking was not only known for his pioneering work in the field of cosmology, but also as author of several popular science books, including the immensely popular A Brief History of Time (1992).

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