At what age did Stephen Hawking die?

Stephen Hawking died at the age of 76. He died at his home in Cambridge, England, on 14 March 2018, after a life that made him one of the most recognizable scientists in modern history.

Hawking was born on 8 January 1942, so he had already celebrated his 76th birthday when he died. His long life was especially remarkable because he had been diagnosed with an early-onset, slow-progressing form of motor neuron disease at age 21.

Despite severe physical limitations, Hawking made influential contributions to theoretical physics. His work on black holes helped establish the idea that black holes can emit thermal radiation, now known as Hawking radiation. He also wrote A Brief History of Time, bringing cosmology to millions of general readers.

His age is sometimes misremembered because public accounts often focus on the short life expectancy doctors initially predicted after his diagnosis. Hawking outlived those expectations by many decades. He was buried in Westminster Abbey near the graves of Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin.