In the summer of 2015, fourteen-year old Ani Gevorgyan from the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic/NKR) had presented renowned physicist Stephen Hawking with his portrait made from crinoid fossil stones, which are found in Astghashen community in Artsakh’s Askeran Region.

Gevorgyan told ARTSAKHpress news agency that she got interested in Hawking when she learned that he had become a world-renowned scientist despite his limited physical abilities.

“I was excited,” she said. “And when in 2015 I was told that renowned astrophysicist Garik Israyelyan—who knew Hawking personally—was in Artsakh, I asked him to present to the great scientist his portrait made by me.

“Later, I was informed that my gift had reached the addressee and that he liked it a lot.’’

Stephen Hawking died Wednesday at the age of 76.

He was a leading theoretical physicist and cosmologist.