Stephen Hawking death: Last photos of scientist out in public released
THE LAST photographs of renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking have emerged as the world mourns the death of the world's most celebrated scientist.
Stephen Hawking with friends in central London
The pictures show Prof Hawking out with friends in Mayfair in central London shortly before Christmas.
The internationally renowned physicist died peacefully at his home in Cambridge in the early hours of the morning at the age of 76.
Prof Hawking was diagnosed with a rare form of motor neurone disease in 1964 at the age of 22 and was given just a few years to live.
The last pictures of Stephen Hawking in oublic have been released
His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world
He eventually became confined to a wheelchair and dependent on a computerised voice system for communication.
He continued to travel the world giving lectures and writing scientific papers about the basic laws that govern the universe.
Prof Hawking explained the Big Bang and black holes in his best-selling book A Brief History Of Time.
In a statement, his children Lucy, Robert and Tim said: "We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today.
Stephen Hawking enjoys and evening out in London
"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."
Stephen Hawking on how he would spend his last day on Earth
The University of Cambridge said Prof Hawking was "an inspiration to millions" and his work will leave "an indelible legacy".
University officials said a book of condolence would be opened at Gonville and Caius College.
Prof Hawking was born on January 8 1942 in Oxford, the eldest of four children, and went on to become one of the world's most acclaimed cosmologists.
His rise to fame and relationship with his first wife, Jane, was dramatised in a 2014 film, The Theory Of Everything, in which Eddie Redmayne put in an Oscar-winning performance as the physicist battling with a devastating illness.