Stephen Hawking ‘very ill’ in Cambridge hospital

Professor Stephen Hawking was described today as "very ill" in Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge. The wheelchair-bound 67-year-old, who has suffered from motor neurone disease for most of his life, is undergoing tests. His first wife Jane Wilde, now remarried, and his daughter Lucy are reported to be at his bedside.

Having achieved his first degree from Oxford University, Hawking then transferred to Cambridge where he has remained as a faculty member for more than 30 years. Within the scientific community, Hawking is known for his work in the fields of theoretical cosmology and quantum gravity, and especially for his research into black holes.

However, his bestselling book A Brief History of Time earned him a worldwide popular recognition. It remained on the Sunday Times bestseller list for a record four years and has sold approximately nine million copies.  Other books include one for children called George’s Secret Key to the Universe.

Furthermore, his disability, and particularly the voice synthesiser he has used since 1985, have earned him a cult following. Hawking has appeared as himself in episodes of The Simpsons, Futurama, Star Trek and Red Dwarf as well as providing brief vocals on Pink Floyd's Keep Talking.
 
Hawking became one of the youngest fellows of the Royal Society in 1974 and was awarded the CBE in 1982. He has been married and divorced twice. He separated from his first wife, Jane Wilde, in 1991 apparently because of the pressure that his fame and increasing disability had put on their relationship. The couple had three children together. In 1995, he married his nurse Elaine Mason; they divorced in 2006.
 
"We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star," Hawking has said. "But we can understand the universe. That makes us something very special." Hawking has also tried to make as many of his findings accessible to the non-scientific community as possible. "My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all."
 
Hawking is due to retire this year as Cambridge University's Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, although he had been hoping to stay on as professor emeritus. ·