Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins, known as the "forgotten astronaut" because he remained aboard the command module while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin made their historic moonwalk in 1969, died Wednesday at the age of 90, his family confirmed in a statement.
“We regret to share that our beloved father and grandfather passed away today after a courageous battle with cancer. He spent his final days peacefully, with his family by his side. Mike always faced life’s challenges with grace and humility, and he faced this, his final challenge, in the same way. We will miss him tremendously,” his family explained. “However, we also know how fortunate Mike felt to have lived the life he did. We will honor his wish that we celebrate, not mourn, that life. Please join us in remembering with fondness and joy his sharp wit, his quiet sense of purpose, and his wise perspective, gained both by looking back at Earth from the vantage point of space and by surveying the still waters from the deck of his fishing boat,” they write in the letter. <blockquote class="»twitter-tweet»"><p lang="»en»" dir="»ltr»">Family Statement on Passing of Astronaut Michael Collins <a href="/en/»https://t.co/6OAw7CzFaz»/">pic.twitter.com/6OAw7CzFaz</a></p>— Michael Collins (@AstroMCollins) <a href="/en/»https://twitter.com/AstroMCollins/status/1387438495040348168/?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw»">April 28, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="»https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js»" charset="»utf-8″"></script>