Stephen Hawking replaces the event horizon with his concept of an apparent horizon, based on the idea that the evaporation of a black hole allows previously trapped particles to escape after all. So the more ephemeral apparent horizon is similar to an event horizon but with an expiration date attached to it.
No event horizon, no classical black hole. It’s still there, but the inclusion of quantum mechanics requires a revision of the concept of an event horizon.
So he didn’t kill it, he didn’t steal it, he just illuminated shortcomings of current theories. Shit got more complicated. Again.
Oh, and he killed firewalls in the process, apparently.
