British scientist Stephen Hawking passes away: 10 Interesting facts about Man who questioned the UNIVERSE

British Scientist Stephen Hawking has died at the age of 76 on Wednesday. His family released a statement in the early hours of Wednesday morning confirming his death at his home in Cambridge.

Professor Hawking's children, Lucy, Robert and Tim said in a statement: "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 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."

Also Read: Stephen Hawking's doomsday prophecies: 6 prediction that renowned physicist made about END OF WORLD

Who was Stephen Hawking?

# Hawking was born on Jan. 8, 1942, which just happened to be the 300th anniversary of Galileoss death.

# When he was 9, he ranked as the worst student of the class but still his teachers used to think that he is a genius and will shock the world with his talent in future.

# His nickname was "Einstein".

# When he was 21, he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and according to the doctors he could just live for a few years but amazingly he is still alive in the age of 70.

# Although Stephen Hawking is completely paralyzed but he still can communicate with the help of a Speech Generating Device. He can speak up to 15 words per minute.

# Before his illness, he was one of the most important members of Oxford Rowing Team. His dedication and perfection made him very popular and he was called as "the adventurous type" by one of his fellow boatman.

# He has written a children book named "George's Secret Key to the Universe".

# He got married twice and divorced twice.