The passing of renowned astronaut James Lovell at 97 has left Hollywood and the space community in mourning. His life and achievements were depicted in the film Apollo 13, starring Tom Hanks, who paid tribute to Lovell.
Hollywood and the space community are mourning the loss of legendary astronaut James ‘Jim’ Lovell, who died on Thursday, August 7, at the age of 97. Lovell, a former NASA commander and Navy test pilot, became a household name as the man who led the perilous 1970 Apollo 13 mission, a lunar expedition that suffered critical technical failures but returned safely to Earth. His story was immortalised in the 1995 Ron Howard–directed docudrama Apollo 13, where actor Tom Hanks portrayed him on screen.
Tom Hanks pays tribute to James Lovell
Lovell’s daughter-in-law confirmed his passing to The New York Times. Post that, Tom Hanks, paid a heartfelt tribute to Lovell on Instagram, reflecting on the astronaut’s courage and legacy. “There are people who dare, who dream, and who lead others to the places we would not go on our own,” wrote the Oscar winner. “Jim Lovell, who for a long while had gone farther into space and for longer than any other person of our planet, was that kind of guy.”
He continued, “His many voyages around Earth and on to so-very-close to the moon were not made for riches or celebrity, but because such challenges as those are what fuels the course of being alive – and who better than Jim Lovell to make those voyages.” The actor concluded with a poignant farewell: “On this night of a full moon, he passes on – to the heavens, to the cosmos, to the stars. God speed you, on this next voyage, Jim Lovell.”
Apollo 13 director honours Jim Lovell
Ron Howard, who directed Apollo 13, also remembered the astronaut with a touching post on Instagram. Sharing a carousel of archival images, film stills, and side-by-side comparisons of Lovell and Hanks, the filmmaker wrote, “RIP #CommanderLovell. Navy test pilot, Gemini 7, Gemini 12, Apollo 8 and, of course, Apollo 13.”