Physicist Stephen Hawking dies aged 76

World famous physicist Stephen Hawking has died aged 76, reported news agency AFP quoting a family spokesperson. 

Hawking's insights shaped modern cosmology. His major contributions include studies on gravitational singularity theorems and black holes. Hawking was the first to propose a theory of cosmology using the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. 

From the age of 21, the scientist, who has done intensive research in cosmology, was suffering from a motor neurone disease that limited his abilities to move around.