James Watson, renowned for his role in unveiling the double-helix structure of DNA, has passed away at the age of 97.

Watson, a native of Chicago born in 1928, achieved this groundbreaking scientific feat at the young age of 24, collaborating with British physicist Francis Crick. According to The Associated Press, Watson’s son confirmed that he died in hospice care following a brief illness.

In a statement released on Friday, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where Watson once conducted research, paid tribute to his contributions. “As a scientist, his and Francis Crick’s determination of the DNA structure, informed by the research of Rosalind Franklin, Maurice Wilkins, and their team at King’s College London, marked a transformative moment in the life sciences,” the institution noted.

James Watson, the American biologist who shared a Nobel Prize for the discovery of DNA’s double-helix form, was captured in a portrait at an exhibition in Berlin on October 11, 2004. (Photo by Markus Schreiber/AP Photo)

The New York Times reported that Watson passed away earlier this week on Long Island.

Watson, along with scientists Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins, won the 1962 Nobel Prize after discovering DNA’s double-helix structure, two intertwined strands resembling a twisting ladder, The Associated Press reported.

James Watson, left, and Francis Crick in 1959 (Getty Images)

“Francis Crick and I made the discovery of the century, that was pretty clear,” Watson once said.

The discovery revealed how genetic information is stored and replicated and created the foundation for modern genetic engineering, disease treatment with genes and DNA identification techniques, according to The Associated Press.

In the years that followed the discovery, Watson authored books, including “The Double Helix” in 1968 and “Molecular Biology of the Gene” in 1965. 

Vladimir Fortov, president of the Russian Academy of Sciences, right, returns a Nobel Prize medal that was sold at auction to a Russian businessman, to U.S. Nobel laureate and biologist James Watson at the Russian Academy of Sciences, in Moscow, Russia, June 17, 2015.  (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)

However, later in life, he also drew widespread condemnation for racist remarks.

“His remarks on race and IQ in 2008 led the CSHL Board of Trustees to remove him from all administrative roles and his appointment as a CSHL Trustee,” Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory wrote. “When he made similar statements in 2020, the board revoked his Emeritus status and severed all connections with him.”

Crick and Wilkins both died in 2004, according to The Associated Press.