Inventor of laser dies at age 99
Charles Townes won Nobel Prize in physics in 1964

UPDATED 9:03 PM EST Jan 27, 2015



BERKLEY, Calif. —Charles Hard Townes, the inventor of the laser, died Tuesday.

Townes, 99, was in failing health and died on his way to a hospital, according to the University of California Berkley.

Townes was born in Greenville, South Carolina. He graduated from Furman University.

Townes came up with the idea for the laser in 1951. The idea eventually led to the first laser, now commonly used in medicine, communication, entertainment and science.

Townes received a Nobel Prize in physics and the Templeton Prize for contributions to the understanding of religion.

He is survived by his wife, Frances Hildreth Townes, whom he married in 1941; daughters Holly Townes, Linda Rosenwein, Ellen Townes-Anderson and Carla Kessler; six grandchildren and two great grandchildren.