Jim Lovell, Commander of Apollo 13, Dies at 97

James Lovell Jr., the astronaut whose leadership during the harrowing Apollo 13 mission captivated the world and was famously depicted in a celebrated film, has died. He was 97 years old. His family and NASA confirmed his passing on Thursday in Illinois.

Born March 25, 1928, in Cleveland, Ohio, Lovell’s career began as a naval air test pilot before he was selected by NASA for the second group of astronauts in 1962, following being a finalist among the original Mercury Seven. His spaceflight journey included missions aboard Gemini VII and XII, and Apollo 8, which orbited the moon without landing.

The Apollo 13 mission, launched on April 11, 1970, was intended to be another lunar landing. However, two days into the flight, an oxygen tank exploded, critically damaging the spacecraft’s electrical systems. Facing a dire situation, Lovell and his crewmates, Jack Swigert and Fred Haise, navigated a perilous return trajectory, famously looping around the moon before safely splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. The incident prompted the now-iconic communication – initially spoken by Swigert – “Houston, we’ve had a problem.”

The ordeal became synonymous with resilience and ingenuity, receiving widespread public attention and later inspiring Ron Howard’s 1995 film “Apollo 13,” starring Tom Hanks. While widely praised for its accuracy, the film took some artistic license regarding who first uttered that phrase, attributing it to Hanks’ character when it was actually Swigert. Lovell also appeared in the 1998 HBO miniseries “From the Earth to the Moon,” portrayed by Tim Daly, and was the subject of last year’s Netflix documentary “Apollo 13: Survival.”

Lovell distinguished himself as the first person to orbit the moon twice and among a select group of individuals to have journeyed beyond Earth’s orbit. He retired from both the Navy and NASA in 1973, concluding a remarkable career marked by courage and technical expertise.

Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy lauded Lovell’s legacy, stating that his “character and steadfast courage helped our nation reach the Moon and turned a potential tragedy into a success.”

Lovell is survived by his children Barbara Harrison, James Lovell III, Susan Lovell, and Jeff Lovell; 11 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife of 71 years, Marilyn Lovell, who passed away in 2023 and was portrayed by Kathleen Quinlan in “Apollo 13.”