THESE are the last pictures of Professor Stephen Hawking before his death today at the age of 76.

The physics genius was spotted enjoying a lavish Mayfair dinner with friends just before Christmas last year.

36 Stephen Hawking is pictured on a night out in Mayfair in December last year Credit: Greg Brennan

36 Prof Hawking went out for dinner with friends and aides Credit: Greg Brennan

36 Physics genius Professor Hawking enjoyed a lavish meal with friends after being photographed for the last time Credit: Greg Brennan

36 Professor Hawking, who died today, was last photographed at Christmas time Credit: Greg Brennan

It emerged today as the science world mourns the loss of Brit stargazer Stephen, who changed the way we understand the universe.

Prof Hawking, who authored international bestseller A Brief History of Time and was the subject of Oscar-winning film The Theory of Everything, died peacefully at home in Cambridge in the early hours of this morning.

He was considered a medical marvel, having lived for more than half a century after being given two years to live when he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 1963.

In a statement, his children Lucy, Robert and Tim said: "We are deeply saddened that our beloved father passed away today."

36 The English scientist Stephen Hawking has died at home, his family confirmed Credit: Rex Features

36 Stephen Hawking helped popularise science and physics for the masses Credit: Rex Features

36 Professor Stephen Hawking back in 1977 with his family Credit: Magnum Photos

36 Professor Stephen Hawking, the scientist, and his wife Jane in 1988 Credit: Times Newspapers Ltd

36 Hawking became a household name after publishing his 1988 book A Brief History of Time Credit: PA:Press Association

36 Doctors gave him a life expectancy of just two years - but incredibly he lived with the condition for more than 50 Credit: Times Newspapers Ltd

Professor Stephen Hawking reveals fears for the future of humanity

36 The scientist wanted to bring the story of the universe to the masses with his revolutionary writing Credit: Getty Images

36 Professor Stephen Hawking, ex-wife Jane Wilde Hawking and daughter Lucy at the Bafta Awards in 2015 Credit: Lia Toby/WENN.com

36 President Obama presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Hawking Credit: AFP or licensors

SO, ER, WHAT ON EARTH DOES IT ALL MEAN? By Paul Sutherland, Sun Spaceman EVEN as a student, Stephen Hawking made major contributions to our understanding of the universe. He based his work on Einstein’s theory of general relativity, which showed how space and time are bound together by gravity. The professor’s early work was fundamental in proving the existence of black holes – regions of the universe so dense that normal laws of physics break down. In the Sixties, there were still competing views as to how the universe came to be. Some argued for a “Big Bang”, others that it was always there in a “steady state”. Hawking’s PhD thesis provided mathematical evidence for the Big Bang. If you wound back the universe 14billion years, you would find a single, tiny point – smaller than a full stop on this page. Everything exploded into existence from this, said Hawking, like a black hole in reverse. Though this produced the universe, he argued that the concept of a beginning was meaningless, because time itself only came into being at the moment of the Big Bang. Black holes were a source of fascination for Hawking. It was commonly thought that a black hole was a kind of cosmic plughole from which nothing, not even light, could escape. But in a stroke of brilliance, Hawking put forward evidence that black holes leak energy into space and will eventually evaporate. It was a completely unexpected idea that rocked the science community. The phenomenon was his most important finding and was named Hawking radiation. During the Big Bang, Hawking suggested, some lumps of matter could have collapsed into mini black holes, each smaller than an atom yet weighing billions of tons. These would have been so hot they would have exploded with the force of a million hydrogen bombs. As well as studying the vastness of the cosmos, Hawking was also fascinated by the nature of matter on its tiniest scale – atoms and the sub-atomic particles within them. He linked this study of so-called quantum theory to calculate how the universe grew rapidly in size after the Big Bang. Other fields of study included the possibility that black holes are the seeds of other, baby universes. And in an idea reminiscent of Doctor Who, he suggested that wormholes in the space-time continuum could provide shortcuts across the universe.

They added: "He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years.

"His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humour inspired people across the world.

"He once said, 'It would not be much of a universe if it wasn't home to the people you love.' We will miss him forever."

Tributes have poured in from, celebrities, politicians and some of the greatest minds in modern science.

Theresa May said the Professor was "a brilliant and extraordinary mind – one of the great scientists of his generation” whose “courage, humour and determination to get the most from life was an inspiration".

A Brief History of Time - published in 1988 - made him a household name, explaining complex scientific theories to the masses.

Ever since he has been compared with Albert Einstein — who remarkably was born 139 years ago today and also died at 76.

Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious. And however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters that you don't just give up Prof Stephen Hawking

In 2014 his life story was turned into the film The Theory of Everything starring Eddie Redmayne, who won an Oscar for his performance.

While he was unable to attend the ceremony, Professor Hawking posted a touching message, saying: "Well done Eddie, I'm very proud of you."

Asked about his long life.

Redmayne said in a statement today: "We have lost a truly beautiful mind, an astonishing scientist and the funniest man I have ever had the pleasure to meet.

"My love and thoughts are with his extraordinary family."

36 Bringing science to audiences across the world, Stephen Hawking presented a number of TV documentaries Credit: PA:Press Association

36 Tributes have poured in for Professor Stephen Hawking Credit: Reuters

36 Hawking beat his illness to live a successful family life Credit: BBC

36 Stephen and Jane Hawking in 1977 at their wedding Credit: YouTube

36 Stephen and Jane met each other while at university Credit: Collect

Stephen Hawking's voice used in Pink Floyd's Keep Talking track

The Theory of Everything - How Stephen Hawking's work is key to our understanding of the universe HAWKING is known for both his work popularising science and being at the forefront of it. His 1988 bestseller A Brief History of Time explained all the major theories of how the universe came to be as we see it today in language non-physicists could understand, and brought developing theories to a mass audience for the first time. With his academic work, he was the first to build a bridge between the tiniest building blocks of the universe and how gravity works on a universal scale. He did this by applying quantum mechanics to the behaviour of black holes - a fundamental prediction of Einstein's general theory of relativity - in a way previously thought impossible but now fundamental to our understanding of the universe. His work, starting with a paper written in 1974, showed that black holes aren't actually entirely 'black', but leak radiation--and the rate at which they leak that radiation increases with time, leading them to eventually explode. Bridging that gap makes one theory covering everything from the behaviour of the tiniest building blocks of matter to the interaction of galaxies possible--and gave his biopic The Theory of Everything its name.

Stephen was born in Oxford on January 8 1942 — the 300th anniversary of the death of Galileo.

His parents had decamped to the city from North London for him to be born away from the worst of the wartime bombing raids.

When he was eight, the family moved to St Albans, where he attended school before going on to Oxford University.

While studying at Oxford, the young Stephen became increasingly clumsy, falling down the stairs and having trouble rowing.

His speech started to slur and he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - a form of motor neurone disease - aged just 21, in 1963.

Despite a bleak diagnosis, incredibly he lived with the condition for more than 50 years.

Some experts refuse to believe he had ALS because his life span has exceeded any expectations by so much.

The professor used a voice synthesiser since he caught pneumonia in 1985 and had to have a tracheotomy which left him unable to speak.

36 Stephen Hawking with sisters Mary and Phillipa Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

36 Hawking at his Oxford graduation. He went on to achieve a PhD at Cambridge Credit: SWNS:South West News Service

36 Hawking as a popular student at Oxford in the sixties Credit: Handout

36 Hawking in 1979 appearing at Princeton University in New Jersey Credit: Getty - Contributor

36 Prof Hawking with his loving family, children Robert, Lucy and Tim and wife Jane Credit: Collect

36 Eddie Redmayne famously won an Oscar for his depiction of Prof Hawking in The Theory Of Everything Credit: AP:Associated Press

36 Redmayne with Prof Hawking at the Baftas in 2015 Credit: Rex Features

36 His most notable work has been on the basic laws which govern the universe - including theories about the Big Bang and black holes Credit: Alamy

36 Stephen Hawking and his then wife Elaine smile on the opening day of the Frankfurt Book Fair 2005 Credit: EPA

36 Stephen Hawking famously appeared in The Simpsons Credit: Fox

Stephen Hawking​ stars in an episode of cult American cartoon The Simpsons​

A Cambridge scientist built an incredible device which enabled him to control a computer screen using his cheek for data entry, then have the computer read out what he has typed.

He was well-known for his robotic speech pattern - and famously refused a more normalised dialect.

He went on to Cambridge University to study Cosmology, gaining his PhD and becoming a research fellow and lecturer.

His most notable work has been on the basic laws which govern the universe - including theories about the Big Bang and black holes.

Guest’s ringing phone interrupts Stephen Hawking tribute on BBC Breakfast

36 Stephen Hawking and his daughter Lucy Hawking arrive on the red carpet for the 2015 British Academy Film Awards Credit: EPA

Stephen Hawking explains how we could potentially reach Mars within an hour after predicting the planet will be a ‘sizzling fire ball’ by 2600

36 Stephen on his wedding day to second wife - his nurse Elaine Credit: Reuters

36 Hawking married his nurse Elaine Mason at in September 1995 Credit: Times Newspapers Ltd

36 Prof. Hawking experiences low gravity drifting. He always dreamed of going to space Credit: EPA

36 Hawking took part in a weightlessness experience on a plane known as the Vomit Comet Credit: EPA

36 Prof Hawking spent his career trying to solve the mysteries of the universe - but also knew how to have fun Credit: EPA

36 Professor Hawking meets Pope Francis in 2016 Credit: AFP or licensors

36 Hawking bought complex, cosmic ideas to the masses Credit: Getty Images - Getty

“I am lucky to be working in theoretical physics, one of the few areas in which disability is not a serious handicap,” he said.

He carried out groundbreaking research until his death.

In later years he made several TV and film cameos as himself, notably in Little Britain and The Big Bang Theory.

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Most recently he was pictured on a cinema visit in Cambridge to see Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

He is survived by three children from his marriage to his first wife Jane - Robert, born in May 1967; Lucy, born in 1970 and Timothy, born April 1979 - and several grandchildren.

Hawking and Jane divorced in 1995 and he married his second wife, his nurse Elaine Mason, but they divorced in 2006.

Red Nose Day 2015: Stephen Hawking v Little Britain