In his book, LSD: My Problem Child, Hofmann wrote that he went on to study chemistry because he wanted to explore how life came to be through the combination of energy and elements. He earned his Ph.D. in 1929 when he was just 23 years old. He then moved on to a job with Sandoz Laboratories in Basel, which was focusing on synthesizing pharmaceutical compounds from plants.

Although his work produced other important drugs, Hofmann's discovery of LSD will forever be what he's remembered for.

"Through my LSD experience and my new picture of reality, I became aware of the wonder of creation, the magnificence of nature and of the animal and plant kingdom," he said during an interview in 1984. "I became very sensitive to what will happen to all this and all of us."

He and his wife Anita, who died recently, raised four children together in Basel. One child passed away at age 53 of alcoholism. He is survived by several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

In 2006, Hofmann said that all of his LSD trips didn't affect his understanding of death.

"I go back to where I came from, to where I was before I was born, that's all," he said.