Apollo 13 Commander Jim Lovell Dies at 97

James A. “Jim” Lovell Jr., the NASA astronaut who commanded the Apollo 13 mission and became a symbol of courage in the face of disaster, has died at the age of 97.
Lovell passed away on August 7, 2025, at his home in Lake Forest, Illinois. The cause of death has not been disclosed.
Lovell rose to international fame in April 1970 when an oxygen tank exploded aboard Apollo 13 on its way to the Moon.
The accident forced Lovell and crewmates Jack Swigert and Fred Haise to abort their landing and work with mission control to devise a risky but ultimately successful plan to return safely to Earth.
Before Apollo 13, Lovell had already etched his name into space history. He flew two Gemini missions, Gemini 7 and Gemini 12, and served as command module pilot for Apollo 8 the first spacecraft to orbit the Moon in December 1968. Across his four missions, Lovell logged over 715 hours in space, though he never set foot on the lunar surface.
His heroics were immortalized in the 1995 Hollywood film Apollo 13, in which Tom Hanks portrayed him. The movie popularized the now-famous phrase, “Houston, we have a problem,” based on the crew’s real-life radio transmission during the crisis.
NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy praised Lovell as “a symbol of leadership, resilience, and skill who inspired generations to look beyond Earth.” Actor Tom Hanks also paid tribute, calling Lovell a man who “dared, dreamed, and led others to places we would not go on our own.”
After retiring from NASA and the U.S. Navy in 1973, Lovell pursued a career in business and remained active in space exploration advocacy. He is survived by his four children, 11 grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren. His wife, Marilyn, whom he married in 1952, died in 2023.