Famous British physicist Stephen Hawking， mental genius and physical disability made him a household name and inspiration across the globe, has died at age 76.

    Propelled(推动) to superstar by his 1988 bookA Brief History of Time, which became unlikely worldwide bestseller, Hawking devoted(he) to unlocking the secrets of the Universe. His genius and wit(win) over fans from far beyond the world of astrophysics, earning comparisons with Albert Einstein and Sir Isaac Newton.

    Hawking died (peaceful) at his home in the British university city of Cambridge in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

    “We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today,” professor Hawking's children said in a statement (carry) by Britain's Press Association news agency. “He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live for many years.”

    Hawking refused to accept the predictions that he would only live for a few years after developing a form of motor neurone disease in his early (twenty). The illness gradually robbed him of mobility(leave) him confined to a wheelchair, almost completely paralysed and unable to speak except through his voice synthesiser(合成器).

    “His courage and persistence with his brilliance and (humorous) inspired people across the world,” his family said.