Peter Higgs, the discoverer of the Higgs boson, 'the God particle', dies at 94

EDINBURGH, 9 Apr. (DPA/EP) -

Professor Peter Higgs, Nobel Prize winner in physics and discoverer of the Higgs boson, 'the God particle', died this Monday at the age of 94.

Higgs predicted the existence of a new particle, the so-called 'Higgs boson particle' in 1964 although its existence was not confirmed until almost half a century later, in 2012, through experiments at the Large Hadron Collider at the European Organization for Nuclear Research ( CERN).

He was an emeritus professor at the University of Edinburgh and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work in 2013 alongside Francois Englert. The University of Edinburgh was responsible for confirming the death of Professor Higgs. "He died on Monday, April 8, peacefully at his home, due to a short illness," they reported.

The university's principal, Professor Peter Mathieson, said Higgs was "an extraordinary person, a gifted scientist whose vision and imagination have enriched our knowledge of the world around us." "His pioneering work has motivated thousands of scientists, and his legacy will continue to inspire many more for generations," he noted.

The family of the deceased has asked the media and the public for "respect and privacy in these difficult times."