Nobel Prize-winning Newcastle born physicist Professor Peter Higgs who discovered Higgs boson dies aged 94

Nobel Prize-winning physicist Professor Peter Higgs, renowned for his groundbreaking work on the Higgs boson particle, has passed away at the age of 94. He was born in Elswick, Newcastle in May 1929, the son of a BBC sound engineer.

The esteemed scientist and "truly gifted scientist" academic was an emeritus professor at Edinburgh University. In 1964, Professor Higgs predicted the existence of a new particle, which would later be known as the Higgs boson.

It took nearly 50 years for his theory to be proven, with the discovery finally made through experiments at the Large Hadron Collider at Cern in 2012. For his monumental contribution to physics, Professor Higgs was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2013, sharing the honour with Francois Englert.

• Read more: Who is Prof Peter Higgs? Everything you need to know about the Tyneside born physicist

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Edinburgh University confirmed the sad news on Tuesday, stating: "It has been confirmed that Professor Peter Higgs has passed away at the age of 94."

The university added: "He died on Monday April 8 peacefully at home following a short illness."

The family of Professor Higgs has requested privacy during this time, with the statement noting: "His family has asked that the media and public respect their privacy at this time."

Professor Sir Peter Mathieson, principal of Edinburgh University, paid tribute by saying: "Peter Higgs was a remarkable individual a truly gifted scientist whose vision and imagination have enriched our knowledge of the world that surrounds us."

He further remarked on the lasting impact of Professor Higgs' work: "His pioneering work has motivated thousands of scientists, and his legacy will continue to inspire many more for generations to come."

Adding to the tributes, Particle physicist Brian Cox, who is a professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Manchester, commented on the enduring significance of Professor Higgs' contributions: "Prof Higgs' name 'will be remembered as long as we do physics'."

"Very sorry to hear Peter Higgs has died," the presenter of the science programme expressed on X.

"I was fortunate enough to meet him several times, and beyond being a famous physicist I think to his embarrassment at times he was always charming and modest."

"And of course his name will be remembered as long as we do physics in the form of the Higgs Boson. RIP Peter."