re: Stephen Hawking dead

Maybe not quite to the degree that he is due to ALS, but he played a huge part in furthering our understanding of relativity, black holes and the fabric of the universe as well as the efforts to combine relativity with quantum mechanics.

That level of physics was pretty cutting edge at that point and greatly benefited from the advancements of the prior generation providing a platform for further advancement. There were a lot of great minds contributing to the field at that point and it seems to be much harder to make a name for yourself today but he certainly was that multi-generational level talent due to his mind coupled with his passion for the field.

Living with ALS for 55 years certainly led to more fame, and it should as its a pretty inspirational story with all his accomplishments regardless of his level of genius. And ALS doesn't really impact the brain, so he continued to further the field well into his sickness, his brain probably only slowed down due to his age.

Also, A Brief History of Time had a huge impact on his renown, easily the most widespread popular science book with over 10,000 copies sold.