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Stars turn out for Stephen Hawking memorial

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Stars turn out for Stephen Hawking memorial

Tributes have been paid to renowned physicist Prof Stephen Hawking in a Westminster Abbey memorial service.

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One thousand members of the public, from more than 100 countries, were offered the opportunity to attend the service, after a ballot attracted 25,000 applications for tickets.

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British actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who played Hawking in a BBC drama, and astronaut Tim Peake were among those giving readings at the ceremony.

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Prof Hawking died in March, aged 76, after a long battle with motor neurone disease.

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His ashes are being buried alongside other great scientists like Charles Darwin and Isaac Newton.

English Astronomer Royal, Lord Martin Rees, and Prof Hawking's collaborator and Nobel prize winner, Kip Thorne, also gave tributes during the service.

TV personalities David Walliams and Piers Morgan, musician Nile Rodgers and Prof Brian Cox were among those who joined members of the public to celebrate the life of the scientist.

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Prof Cox said Hawking was a true inspiration and recalled the effect the Cambridge physicist's book, A Brief History of Time, had on him as a 20 year-old.

To mark the occasion, the European Space Agency beamed Prof Hawking's words towards the nearest black hole to Earth. An original score backed the transmission, which was sent from a big radio dish in Spain, from composer Vangelis.

In quotes | Stephen Hawking

On intelligence: “Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.”

On celebrity: “The downside of my celebrity is that I cannot go anywhere in the world without being recognised. It is not enough for me to wear dark sunglasses and a wig. The wheelchair gives me away”

On his disability: “It is a waste of time to be angry about my disability. One has to get on with life and I haven’t done badly"

On his favourite superhero: “If I had to choose a superhero to be, I would pick Superman. He’s everything that I’m not”

On human nature: “We are all different, but we share the same human spirit. Perhaps it’s human nature that we adapt and survive”

On staying curious: “I am just a child who has never grown up. I still keep asking these ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions. Occasionally, I find an answer”

On death: “I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I’m not afraid of death, but I’m in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first”

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