Not many people know that the renowned physicist Stephen Hawking also had several stints as guest-star in various TV shows including Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Simpsons and the show many would easily recognise; The Big Bang Theory. Upon his passing on Wednesday, the stars of the show bid him farewell by paying rich tributes on social media. One of the lead stars of the show Johnny Galecki posted a picture on his Instagram along with the following text: “RIP #stephenhawking Not only your brilliance, but your sense of humor will be sorely missed by all. “Life would be tragic if it weren’t funny.” — Stephen Hawking” The same picture was posted by other cast members on their Instagram as well as by the show’s official Twitter account with the following messages: Co-star MayimBialik wrote: “As we near Pi day (3.14) I join the global community in mourning the loss of the greatest physicist of our era. #StephenHawking is free from the physical constraints of this earthly condition we all exist in and he is soaring above us now marveling at it all. Thank you Dr. Hawking for enlightening us and blessing us with your wisdom and courage.” Co-creator of the show Bill Prady wrote in his Instagram post: “We will miss one of the best recurring characters.” And the official Twitter account of the show tweeted: “In loving memory of Stephen Hawking. It was an honour to have him on The#BigBangTheory. Thank you for inspiring us and the world.” Hawking appeared in The Big Bang Theory in season 5’s episode titled “The Hawking Excitation.”The physicist returned to the show and appeared in six more episodes – the latest one being in the season premiere last September. The visionary and iconic physicist died at his home early morning on Wednesday at the age of 76. People from all walks of life and from across the world took to the digital media and paid rich tributes to the renowned scientist. David Williams from ‘Britain’s got Talent’ posted a picture of him with the science legend with a caption: “Goodbye #StephenHawking Thank you for being – amongst everything else – a great laugh.” A very famous show from the 1980s, The Simpson, had an extraordinary intelligent character based on Stephen Hawking. The creator of The Simpson, Al Jean, also tweeted on the loss of this inspiring personality: “RIP Stephen Hawking. A sense of humor as vast as the universe.” The grief on Stephen Hawking’s death is not only limited to a certain generation, the newer celebrities are equally shaken on the news. Certain young stars tweeted over this loss. This includes Nyle DiMarco, the famous ‘Deaf Artist’ who posted: “Stephen Hawking…A testament that disability is not “inability” and that people with disabilities can achieve anything they set their minds to.” The scientist claimed a massive respect for endlessly working despite the physical constrains. The music sensation Katy Perry did not hold back her feelings and came forward with a tweet saying, “There’s a big black hole in my heart hours before Pi day. Rest In Peace @Steven_Hawking… See you in the next” Piers Morgan, the famous British TV host posted a video with Stephen Hawking and captioned it as: “I had the great honour & thrill of interviewing Professor Stephen Hawking a year ago. It was St Patrick’s Day so I suggested to his team that we have a celebratory drink. ‘He loves Guinness’ came the reply. So I drank Guinness with the Genius. And yes, he loved it.” Heartwarming tweets were also sent in from across the continent. King Khan from the Indian film industry posted on his twitter account: “Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist…’ thank u Stephen Hawking, for making the world we know & we don’t know, a place to look positively at.” Bollywood actor Boman Irani also expressed his grief on twitter regarding the death of lamp of knowledge: “The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.A brilliant mind and a fine gentleman. Saddened that he is no more. May his soul rest in peace.” Stephen Hawking was painfully reduced to wheelchair for a better part of his life; this physical limitation never hindered his search for knowledge nor his effort to spread it. He was indeed a superman in wheelchair. Bollywood star Arjun Rampal paid his tribute to the legend, saying: “The Superman in a wheelchair, leaves his physical state on earth and as one of the greatest physicists, scientists, with his curious mind, will be soaring with the stars in the universe. Still exploring.” Irrespective of the field, the whole mankind is in debt to Stephen Hawking. The world has indeed lost a precious gem and we might not be able to witness another star so bright and humble. Published in Daily Times, March 15th 2018.