Renowned Professor Stephen Hawking has died at the age of 76. A spokesman of his family said that he passed away in the early hours of Wednesday at his home in Cambridge. In a statement to the Press Association, his children Lucy, Robert and Tim said: "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."

It further reads, "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." Asking for privacy they gave thanks to "everyone who has been by Professor Hawking's side and supported him - throughout his life".

Meanwhile, social media is being flooded by posts remembering the great mind whose contribution to science and technology is great. People from different fields have condoled the death of the Hawking with most expressing the loss of an intellect. Hawking contracted motor neuron disease in 1963 and was given two years to live, however, he survived and went on to study at Cambridge.

Here are some of the Twitter reactions:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also tweeted condoling the death of Hawking:

The 2014 film The Theory Of Everything starring Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones was on the world famous physicist and cosmologist. Dr Hawking was an English theoretical physicist and the author and Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology within the University of Cambridge. He also performed cameos in the US comedy sitcom series 'The Big Bang Theory'.

His book 'A Brief History of Time' has sold 10 million copies. His theories on black holes and relativity has been subject to various case studies and other talks. Interestingly, Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879. He was considered one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists since Albert Einstein.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 14, 2018 10:16 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).