When asked if he believed in God, Stephen Hawking gave a straightforward answer.

Hawking was a world-renowned physicist and author who passed away in 2018 at the age of 76. His work focused on theoretical physics and cosmology, namely black holes and the discovery of Hawking radiation.

His opinions on God and the afterlife can be heard here:

In 1963, at the age of 21, the late genius was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a form of motor neurone disease, and doctors told him he only had two years to live.

Even though Hawking was able to totally defy the original diagnosis, his mobility and communication skills continued to decline, and he eventually used a sophisticated computer system to communicate.

Hawking’s wheelchair batteries powered the computer, which took the shape of a tablet attached to his arm.

Hawking was able to type down his thoughts on the keyboard that was displayed on the screen by using facial recognition technology.