This actually got a very loud, "Oh no!" from me as I was driving to work and heard it on the radio. I did a college paper on him and he was a fascinating guy. Not much of a student, earning poor marks, he didn't really apply himself until he got ALS and even though his physical abilities grew smaller, his mind grew bigger.
And I may have been one of the few who bought and actually finished A Brief History of Time -- labeled the greatest best seller never read.
R.I.P.