Stephen Hawking was The Simpsons' "most intelligent guest star"

TIME

"Almost as many people know me through The Simpsons as through my science," the renowned theoretical physicist, who died today at age 76, said of his four appearances (between 1999 and 2010) on the Fox comedy. “The appeal of The Simpsons is that the characters display all the traits we see in ourselves,” he said, adding that he thought the show was “the best thing on American television.” The Simpsons producer and writer Matt Selman paid tribute to Hawking on Twitter, calling him "the most intelligent guest star in the brief history of The Simpsons," while Simpsons showrunner Al Jean said Hawking had "a sense of humor as vast as the universe."

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