Stephen Hawking was an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author. He was the director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge. Hawking made significant contributions to general relativity and quantum mechanics. He achieved commercial success with works of popular science discussing his own theories and cosmology. Hawking overcame amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and was still able to communicate through a speech-generating device. He died in 2018 at the age of 76 after battling ALS for over 50 years.