Werner Israel conducted important work in general relativity, particularly on black holes and relativistic thermodynamics. He proved the unexpected theorem that a non-rotating black hole must be spherically symmetric. His theorem initiated a chain of results which led to the complete description of black hole equilibrium states by known solutions. This opened a new era in black hole theory by making it possible to perform detailed calculations. He also showed how to treat thin shells of matter in general relativity and developed a theory of transport coefficients in relativistic thermodynamics which does not lead to propagation faster than light.
Professor Werner Israel OC FRS died on 18 May 2022.
