On March 14, scientist Stephen Hawking died at the age of 76, according to CNN.

The theoretical physicist was one of the greatest to ever grace the earth, as many in the science community have remarked. He has contributed to ideas centered black holes and the creation of the universe, and his books about his theories have sold millions of copies world-wide, and he has had numerous stories and movies created about his life.

Hawking was born in January of 1942 in Oxford, England. The date of his birth has been a focus of discussion for a long time, seeing as it was the 300th anniversary of the death of perhaps the most famous physician ever- Galileo. Comments have also been made about how odd it is that Hawking died on Pie Day; it is a celebration of a mathematics, a subject that the scientist used to develop his theories and ideas.

While he was still in graduate school, Hawking married Jane Wilde (their love story is depicted in the film The Theory of Everything). After 30 years and three children, the two divorced, and the man remarried one of his aids, Elaine Mason. Mason and Hawking later divorced in 2006.

Stephen Hawking was just 21 years old when he was diagnosed with ALS, a motor neuron disease that often leads to the inability to move or speak significantly. Hawking was given about two years to live after being diagnosed, says the New York Times, and yet he survived for 55. Although he was bound to a wheelchair at a very young age, lost his ability to speak and had to use a computer to do so, and went through a variety of other physical defects, he has become very successful.

Newsweek reports that the Motor Neuron Disease Association’s website crashed soon after the physician’s death, waves of people flooded the site and attempted to donate in honor of Hawking.