London strip club owner remembers Stephen Hawking, his 'all-time favourite celebrity'

New Delhi: The world is mourning the demise of renowned British physicist Stephen Hawking, who died peacefully at the age of 76 in the early hours of Wednesday, March 14 at his Cambridge home.

Tributes to the scientific legend poured in from around the world across all social media platforms and those who knew him personally remembered him in their own special way.

One of those people happened to be Peter Stringfellow, a strip club owner from London, who called Hawking his 'all-time favourite celebrity'.

Stringfellow put up a picture and said: “Here is my most favorite photo of Professor Steve Harking having dinner with me in my club Stringfellows (2003 ish) my all time favourite celebrity!!”

According to Stringfellows' (the name of the strip club) posts on Twitter, Hawking 'used to have a great evening in the company of Stringfellows' girls'.

'I will see you in cosmos one day as, like you, I believe we are Stardust,' Peter tweeted.

Here is my most favourite photo of Professor Steve Harking having dinner with me in my club Stringfellows ( 2003 ish) my all time favourite celebrity !! A really inspirational man ..Thank you Professor I will see you in the Cosmos one day as like you I believe we are Stardust pic.twitter.com/i6t8zcfkud — Peter Stringfellow (@PJStringfellow) March 14, 2018

I’ve told you all before that I’m dyslexic and so cock up occasionally when my speller lets me down !! Now RT that if you want !! ..Peter pic.twitter.com/ArJP2YPzpD — Peter Stringfellow (@PJStringfellow) March 14, 2018

My condolences to the family, associates and friends of physicist and cosmologist Stephen Hawking, including his "students" at @stringfellowsuk strip club. pic.twitter.com/V6iQTPrumv — BW Radley (@bwradley) March 14, 2018

Not necessary Mr Radley he had a great time and anyway that photo is from around 2001 ( I think !) https://t.co/AOusf7nvaI — Peter Stringfellow (@PJStringfellow) March 14, 2018

Earlier, Stringfellow had described him as the man who 'lives within his brain and still manages to feel the overwhelming power of sex'.

As per a report in DNA, he remembers: “I went and introduced myself and said, ‘Mr. Hawking, it’s an honour to meet you. If you could spare a minute or two, I’d love to chat with you about the universe. “Then I paused for a bit and joked, ‘Or would you rather look at the girls?’ “There was silence for a moment, and then he answered, ‘The Girls.’”

Despite his debilitating condition, Stephen Hawking went on to live a full life with major achievements to his name.

His formidable mind probed the very limits of human understanding both in the vastness of space and in the bizarre sub-molecular world of quantum theory, which he said could predict what happens at the beginning and end of time.

Ravaged by the wasting motor neurone disease, Hawking was confined to a wheelchair for most of his life. As his condition worsened, he had to speak through a voice synthesiser and communicating by moving his eyebrows – but that didn't stop him from becoming the world's most recognisable scientist.

Hawking skyrocketed to public prominence in 1988, when he published his first general-audience book, A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes.

The book became a bestseller and sold more than 10 million copies in 20 years. It was on the Sunday Times bestseller list for more than four years.

Using his position as one of the world’s most famous scientists, Hawking discussed and spoke about a wide range of issues from the existence of extraterrestrial life to the nature of philosophy.

In 2002, Hawking was ranked number 25 in the BBC's poll of the 100 Greatest Britons and in 2009, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by the former President of the US Barack Obama.

The physicist’s inspiring – and turbulent – story was dramatized in the 2014 movie “The Theory of Everything,” which was based on a memoir by Hawking’s first wife, Jane Wilde. Actor Eddie Redmayne’s portrayal of Hawking in the film won him an Oscar for 'Best Actor'.