Remember Revered Scientist Stephen Hawking With Jams About Stars, Space, & The Universe [Videos]

Late last night, visionary British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking passed away at the age of 76 in Cambridge, U.K., where he lived and worked for most of his life, according to a family spokesperson. Widely considered to be among the world’s greatest living scientists, Hawking’s work exponentially advanced our understanding of the Universe, where it came from, and where it’s headed.

As CNN explains, “With fellow physicist Roger Penrose, Hawking merged Einstein’s theory of relativity with quantum theory to suggest that space and time would begin with the Big Bang and end in black holes. Hawking also discovered that black holes were not completely black but emit radiation and would likely eventually evaporate and disappear … Hawking was also a cosmologist, astronomer, mathematician and author of numerous books including the landmark [A Brief History of Time: From The Big Bang to Black Holes], which has sold more than 10 million copies.”

Hawking’s baffling body of work would have been impressive for anyone, but the impressiveness of achievements was greatly amplified by his physical condition. At the age of 21, Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with ALS, the neurodegenerative disease better known as Lou Gherig’s Disease. Marked by a rapid deterioration of voluntary muscle behavior, most ALS patients die within a few years of their diagnosis. While the disease eventually left Hawking almost entirely physically paralyzed, his mind remained as sound as ever. With help from a speech synthesizer controlled by his few mobile fingers, he was able to continue communicating, giving lectures, writing books, and helping further our understanding of the Universe well into his 70s.

Stephen Hawking received virtually every formal recognition possible for his work. He earned over a dozen honorary doctorates from prestigious institutions around the globe, was named a Commander in the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (an honor one rank below knighthood), and was even presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom–the highest civilian honor given by the U.S. government–by Barack Obama in 2009, despite the fact that he’s British.

In addition to wowing his scientific peers, Hawking made it his mission to bridge the gap between the science world and the general public. In 2016, he helped institute The Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication, an annual award instituted in 2016 to honor members of the arts community for contributions that help build public awareness of science. In 2014, he advised on the critically acclaimed film about his life, The Theory of Everything, with Eddie Redmayne earning a “Best Actor” statue for his portrayal of the visionary physicist. As Redmayne told Deadline this morning, “We have lost a truly beautiful mind, an astonishing scientist and the funniest man I have ever had the pleasure to meet.”

As we remember Stephen Hawking today, we’ve picked out a few choice jams that help us remember the cosmic scope of his work and his contributions to science and the Universe at large.

Thank you for giving your life to science, Stephen Hawking. We’re glad that you could help…

Grateful Dead – “Dark Star” – 10/18/74