[LISTEN] 'Hawking was the greatest mind the world ever had'
Head of Neurology at the University of Witwatersrand (Wits), Professor Girish Modi, has paid tribute to Professor Stephen Hawking as a pioneer in science and medicine.
"His contributions in science, the universe - we cannot even fathom or understand," said Modi.
Hawking died at the age of 76 at his home in Cambridge in the UK.
He spent most his life in a wheelchair due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a form of motor neurone disease.
Modi praised Hawking as a trailblazer.
"When you have false prophets you have to create memories. When you have someone like him, who's a complete soul of purity that you can't even explain, this travels through all humanity. Nobody will ever forget him."
Modi believes Hawking's persistence, despite being dealt a difficult hand, should force people to look at their own lives and the impact they have made on the world.
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The world caught a glimpse of Hawking's life story and work in the film The Theory of Everything, which won actor Eddie Redmayne an Academy Award.
Modi says scientists will forever continue to study his work on black holes and the relativity of time.