Chen Ning Yang, Nobel laureate and one of the world's most influential physicists, has died at the age of 103, according to Chinese state media.
An obituary released by CCTV cited illness as the cause of death. Yang and fellow theoretical physicist, Lee Tsung-Dao, were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1957 for their work in parity laws, which led to important discoveries regarding elementary particles - the building blocks of matter.
Yang was also a professor at Beijing's prestigious Tsinghua University and an honorary dean of the Institute for Advanced Study at the institution.
Born in 1922 in China's eastern Anhui province, he was the oldest of five children and raised on the campus of Tsinghua University where his father was a professor of mathematics. As a teenager, Yang expressed a desire to win the Nobel Prize, a dream he fulfilled at the age of 35.
Yang's contributions to physics, particularly in statistical mechanics and symmetry principles, were recognized with numerous awards throughout his career, including the Albert Einstein Commemorative Award in 1957 and an honorary doctorate from Princeton University in 1958.
He is remembered not only for his academic prowess but also for his personal journeys, including his marriages and the deep connections he developed throughout his life. His legacy will continue to inspire generations in the field of science and beyond.
