NPR

'He Broke Boundaries With His Mind': Public Pays Tribute At Stephen Hawking's Funeral

About 500 guests honored the physicist at Saturday's private service in Cambridge, his intellectual home for half a century. The procession was met by admirers who lined the streets to share memories.
Flowers and a note honor the renowned theoretical physicist near the university church of St. Mary the Great in Cambridge, where a private funeral service was held Saturday.

When the hearse carrying the body of Professor Stephen Hawking arrived at the university church of St. Mary the Great in Cambridge, the bell rang 76 times — to mark each year of the renowned physicist's life.

His coffin was draped with white flowers — lilies for the universe, roses for the polar star. Six pallbearers carried the coffin from Gonville & Caius College, where Hawking was a fellow for more than 50 years.

Hawking's family invited around 500 guests for the private, read Ecclesiastes 3.1-11.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR3 min read
Bearing Witness, Celebrating Strength: How Poetry Has Changed Lives For NPR's Audience
From sparking the imagination to helping with mental health, listen to poems read by NPR readers and see how poetry has affected their lives.
NPR3 min readAmerican Government
Who Is Hope Hicks, The Former Trump Adviser Testifying In New York Criminal Trial?
Hope Hicks was a communications director for the Trump White House and prosecutors may question her on her knowledge of the deals made during his first presidential run.
NPR3 min read
Scientists Welcome New Rules On Marijuana, But Research Will Still Face Obstacles
When marijuana becomes a Schedule III instead of a Schedule I substance under federal rules, researchers will face fewer barriers to studying it. But there will still be some roadblocks for science.

Related Books & Audiobooks