Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell dies at 97

(NewsNation) — NASA astronaut and Apollo 13 commander Capt. Jim Lovell has died.

Lovell, 97, passed away yesterday in Forest Lake, Illinois. His cause of death has not been released.

“NASA sends its condolences to the family of Capt. Jim Lovell, whose life and work inspired millions of people across the decades. Jim’s character and steadfast courage helped our nation reach the Moon and turned a potential tragedy into a success from which we learned an enormous amount. We mourn his passing even as we celebrate his achievements,” NASA said in a statement.

Born in 1928, Lovell was selected as an astronaut in 1962. He served as backup commander for Neil Armstrong on the Apollo 11 lunar landing mission and took part in the Gemini 7, Gemini 12 and Apollo 8 missions.

He is most well-known for his role commanding the Apollo 13 mission. After an explosion in the service module damaged the oxygen system, Lovell and his crew worked with ground control to convert the lunar landing module into a lifeboat that allowed them to survive in space and return to Earth safely.

The Apollo 13 mission was later dramatized in a movie of the same name, where Lovell was portrayed by Tom Hanks.

Before becoming an astronaut, Lovell was a test pilot with the Navy, logging more than 7,000 hours of flight time. During his career at NASA, he spent a total of 715 hours and 5 minutes in space, a record he held until the Skylab flights that began in 1973.

After retiring from NASA, Lovell served as physical fitness and sports consultant to Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon.

He was married to Marilyn Gerlach, and the couple had four children.

His family released a statement, saying: “We are saddened to announce the passing of our beloved father, USN Captain James A. “Jim” Lovell, a Navy pilot and officer, astronaut, leader, and space explorer.

“He was 97. We are enormously proud of his amazing life and career accomplishments, highlighted by his legendary leadership in pioneering human space flight. But, to all of us, he was Dad, Granddad, and the Leader of our family.

“Most importantly, he was our Hero. We will miss his unshakeable optimism, his sense of humor, and the way he made each of us feel we could do the impossible. He was truly one of a kind.”