Stephen Hawking, Legendary Physicist, Dead at 76 

Stephen Hawking, the world-famous physicist who was the subject of the 2014 biopic The Theory of Everything, has died. He was 76. A spokesperson for Hawking’s family confirmed his death to CBS News on Tuesday evening. “We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today,” 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 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.’” Hawking was born in in Oxford, England, in 1942. He was a 21-year-old Ph.D. student at the University of Cambridge when he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Doctors told him that he had only two years to live at most. But Hawking proved them wrong and became one of history’s most famous minds, even as his body deteriorated. Over the years, he became paralyzed throughout his entire body, except for a muscle in his cheek, which was attached to a speech-generating device that allowed him to communicate. Best known for his work on black holes, Hawking published the international bestseller A Brief History of Time in 1988, which explained the mysteries of the universe in layman’s language. His personal story was dramatized in the 2014 movie The Theory of Everything, which was based on a memoir by Hawking’s first wife Jane Wilde. Hawking was portrayed by Eddie Redmayne in the film. Hawking also made appearances on TV shows like The Big Bang Theory, The Simpsons, Star Trek:The Next Generation and Futurama and was featured in the Pink Floyd song “Keep Talking”. Check out the video for “Keep Talking”.