Nobody "just dies". Most "natural deaths" are still heart failure. The rest are other kinds of organ failure.
For a lot of people that die natural deaths they could have lived longer if they had kept fit. It just gets really hard to either do or justify when everything hurts and gets harder to do year over year. Or when you are confined to a wheelchair since your early 20s, were told you would only live two years, and then beat that prognosis 27 times over.
But if you are able, even small amounts of cardio exercise could dramatically extend your health and lifespans in old age.
It's true that an autopsy will show a cause of death for anyone. In that sense, you don't "just die".
But after a certain point, that cause of death starts looking pretty meaningless. Everything is failing at once; if you hadn't died of your actual cause of death, you would have died shortly afterwards from another one. In that sense, you do "just die" of old age.
I'm sure we'll find out more in due course. Right now, it's 4am and all we have is a statement from the family. I'm sure they have much better things to be doing right now.
That said, his original prognosis was that he wouldn't reach his 25th birthday, so he hasn't really done too bad.
In ALS and other degenerative neuromuscular disorders one loses the ability to swallow effectively and protect against aspiration along with the inability to speak. People affected by this, like my grandfather, will usually require a feeding tube to allow enough calories without risking aspiration. However, even with this, we are constantly relying on our epligottis and swallowing reflexes to prevent microaspirations of saliva and oral bacteria. Because of this, people with ALS are at extremely high risk for pneumonia, which would be my first guess as being most likely. His was lucky in that his ALS was a subtype that didn't progress as rapidly as most do.
I think you don't deserve the downvoting you are getting even though the timing of your question is not great, you're still trying to understand what the natural progression of ALS is.
What a beautiful mind. He played a big role in who I am today - I majored in Physics and later in engineering because of his book. He inspired me to understand science and use it to improve the world.
Pre-prepared is exactly how most obituaries are written. Newspapers keep such pre-prepared obituaries of famous people on-hand so that they can publish them instantly if that person happens to die.
Any newspapers who don't do this will lose the all-important race for publication to newspapers that do.
On at least one occasion that I can recall, an obituary for Steve Jobs was published prematurely. As you can imagine, this caused a minor panic before retraction.
> Pre-prepared is exactly how most obituaries are written
They are often written many years in advance. As an example, the Guardian's obituary for Billy Graham [1] was published ten years after its writer died.
My lowest points are when life becomes too easy. When I start to miss the point of living.
I quit my job and moved to a new country because I was becoming complacent, repeating the same thing every day.
It's the moments closest to death when we are truely alive. Whether it's being struck by a disease, as Stephen Hawking tragically was all those many years ago, or climbing a mountain (and in my cause, getting stuck).
At least humanity will buy and read more Stephen Hawking books from now on. We must feel more special only by sharing the our timeline with this brilliant mind. More great discoveries and light will be in the future, we will exist to provide proof of the visionaries.
Stephen Hawking defined an entire generation. Say what you will but he created a culture far beyond that of just a physicist. He was both parodied and revered.
Few have accomplished as much while overcoming so little compared to Hawkings. Hawkings is and will always be a hero.
To think when he started out black holes were just a myth. He got to witness not only their acceptance and his own vindication but actual gravitational waves as well!
>> Few have accomplished as much while overcoming so little
It's weird; I individually understood both achievements but never thought about their combination that seriously until it was worded like this. Very well put.
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[ 3.0 ms ] story [ 256 ms ] threadAbove the morning lark.
– Shakespeare
I actually had no idea he was that old. Maybe he looked younger than he was because he had no wrinkles.
For a lot of people that die natural deaths they could have lived longer if they had kept fit. It just gets really hard to either do or justify when everything hurts and gets harder to do year over year. Or when you are confined to a wheelchair since your early 20s, were told you would only live two years, and then beat that prognosis 27 times over.
But if you are able, even small amounts of cardio exercise could dramatically extend your health and lifespans in old age.
But after a certain point, that cause of death starts looking pretty meaningless. Everything is failing at once; if you hadn't died of your actual cause of death, you would have died shortly afterwards from another one. In that sense, you do "just die" of old age.
That said, his original prognosis was that he wouldn't reach his 25th birthday, so he hasn't really done too bad.
I think you don't deserve the downvoting you are getting even though the timing of your question is not great, you're still trying to understand what the natural progression of ALS is.
Is this the fastest upvoted HN thread? I don't think I've ever seen a discussion go up to +200 upvotes in under 10 minutes.
Any newspapers who don't do this will lose the all-important race for publication to newspapers that do.
They are often written many years in advance. As an example, the Guardian's obituary for Billy Graham [1] was published ten years after its writer died.
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/21/billy-graham-o...
Those who live in the shadow of death are often those who live most.
My lowest points are when life becomes too easy. When I start to miss the point of living.
I quit my job and moved to a new country because I was becoming complacent, repeating the same thing every day.
It's the moments closest to death when we are truely alive. Whether it's being struck by a disease, as Stephen Hawking tragically was all those many years ago, or climbing a mountain (and in my cause, getting stuck).
He will not be forgotten.
Rest in peace.
To think when he started out black holes were just a myth. He got to witness not only their acceptance and his own vindication but actual gravitational waves as well!
We miss you already, Mr. Hawking.
Somehow reminded about that New Generation episode with Newton, Einstein and Hawking.
It's weird; I individually understood both achievements but never thought about their combination that seriously until it was worded like this. Very well put.