What happened
Jim Lovell, the astronaut who led the Apollo 13 crew, died on August 7, 2025 at his home in Lake Forest, Illinois, at age 97, NASA said in a statement. The agency noted his long record of service, including flights on Gemini and Apollo missions that helped shape early human space travel.
Tom Hanks, who played Lovell in the 1995 film Apollo 13, shared a short but moving post on social media that praised Lovell’s willingness to take on hard tasks and to lead others into new places. Hanks wrote that Lovell went farther into space and stayed there longer than most people of his time, and that he took on challenges not for fame but because tackling them made life worth living. Several outlets posted Hanks’ words and images of the two men together.
Why Lovell matters
Lovell won wide attention after the 1970 Apollo 13 mission when an oxygen tank exploded and the crew had to bring the ship home under extreme strain, a rescue led from both the spacecraft and Mission Control that has since become a core story of American space work.
He also flew on Apollo 8, the first mission to orbit the moon, and his career helped shape the view of space travel for many people around the world. News outlets and obituaries tied his name to calm decision making and teamwork that kept the crew safe.
Tribute from an actor who knew the story
When an actor plays a real person, the role can change how the public remembers a life, and Tom Hanks’ role in Apollo 13 helped bring Lovell’s story to wide audiences. Hanks’ post used slow, steady words to honor Lovell’s choices and the risks he took.
Hanks closed his tribute with a line about a full moon and a wish for good speed on the next trip, and his post brought many comments from fans and former colleagues. Media reports ran the full text of Hanks’ message and showed photos of both men from past events.
My short take
Jim Lovell lived a long life that put him at the center of some of the most watched events in human space work. He did not reach the moon on foot, yet he helped get others close and in the end helped a crew come home from near disaster.
In a time when stories of calm, steady action feel rare, his life still gives a plain example of steady work under pressure. And when a public figure like Tom Hanks speaks about him now, it shows how film and news shape what people remember about events that happened decades ago.
Sources: TMZ
