LONDON — The ashes of Stephen Hawking were buried Friday in a corner of Westminster Abbey that honors some of Britain's greatest scientists, between the graves of Charles Darwin and Isaac Newton.

More than 1,000 people attended a service of thanksgiving in the ancient abbey for the physicist, who died in March at age 76 after decades of living with motor neuron disease. When he was diagnosed, at the age of 22, he was given only a few years to live.

Hawking conducted groundbreaking research into black holes and the origins of the universe, and gained global fame as a popularizer and communicator of science. His book "A Brief History of Time" sold 9 million copies — even if many readers didn't finish it — and he appeared on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," ''The Big Bang Theory" and "The Simpsons."

"His name will live in the annals of science," Astronomer Royal Martin Rees said at the memorial service. "Nobody else since Einstein has done more to deepen our understanding of space and time.

"Millions have had their horizons widened by his books and lectures, and even more worldwide have been inspired by a unique example of achievement against all the odds," Rees said.