World-renowned physicist Stephen Hawking has died aged 76, his family spokesperson confirmed.

His children said in a statement that he died at this home in Cambridge in the early hours of Wednesday.

Hawking contracted motor neurone disease in 1963 and was given two years to live but he went on to study at Cambridge and became one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists since Albert Einstein.

The Briton was known for his ground-breaking work with black holes and relativity, and was the author of several popular science books including A Brief History of Time.