Stephen Hawking "Very Ill," Hospitalized

Gregory Hayman, Cambridge University's head of communications said:

"Professor Hawking is very ill. He is undergoing tests. He has been unwell for a couple of weeks."

Stephen Hawking was born on January 8, 1942 and was diagnosed at the age 21 with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease). Hawking communicates through an electronic voice synthesizer activated by his fingers.

Despite his disease, Hawking has remained very active, and even appeared on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Futurama, and The Simpson (both as an animated character, of course).

Professor Peter Haynes, head of the Cambridge University's Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, said:

"Professor Hawking is a remarkable colleague. We all hope he will be amongst us again soon."

Hawking was scheduled to lecture at Arizona State University on April 6th, but cancelled the appearance because of this illness.