# RIP Jim Lovell **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** celebrity-death\ **Created:** [August 8, 2025, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-jim-lovell/1021876 "2025-08-08T20:55:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-jim-lovell/1021876/1 "2025-08-08T20:55:51Z")
> **[Jim Lovell, who guided Apollo 13 safely back to Earth, dies aged 97](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cl7y8zq5xpno)** > > Commander of Apollo 13, who rescued his men from a near certain death in space, has died aged 97. (I can’t figure a more appropriate place on the board besides CS) ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2025, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-jim-lovell/1021876/2 "2025-08-08T21:01:47Z")
I feel like this is the right place for this. Especially thanks to the movie making him almost a household name. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2025, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-jim-lovell/1021876/3 "2025-08-09T00:35:46Z")
I have an autographed copy of Apollo 13, though it was given to me as a gift and I didn’t get to meet Lovell when he signed it. He was quite the aviator. Not too many Apollo guys remaining. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2025, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-jim-lovell/1021876/4 "2025-08-09T00:47:56Z")
I read his book Lost Moon after seeing both the PBS documentary Apollo 13 To the Edge and Back and the Ron Howard Movie. What a story! ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2025, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-jim-lovell/1021876/5 "2025-08-09T00:57:03Z")
I’ve always found it intriguing that people who survive harrowing near-death situations, like Apollo 13 or Holocaust survivors, usually live a much longer life than normal folks. It’s like life’s way of compensating by giving an extra-time bonus. RIP Lovell. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2025, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-jim-lovell/1021876/6 "2025-08-09T00:58:58Z")
RIP The astronauts were heroes of mine growing up. I spent hours in front of the TV watching coverage of the missions. I sent fan mails to NASA asking for photographs and any public relations stuff they could send me. I still have the packet of offical 8x10 portraits from 1966. Here’s Jim Lovell’s: [![](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54708700609_6067153b2d_z.jpg) ](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/54708700609_6067153b2d_z.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2025, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-jim-lovell/1021876/7 "2025-08-09T02:02:44Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I’ve always found it intriguing that people who survive harrowing near-death situations, like Apollo 13 or Holocaust survivors, usually live a much longer life than normal folks. Both Lovell and Fred Heise lived into their 90s, but Jack Swigert died of cancer at 51. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2025, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-jim-lovell/1021876/8 "2025-08-09T02:04:35Z")
Lovell was one of my favorites of the old-school astronauts. Though I never had the chance to meet him, he always came across, in the various interviews I saw of him, as well-spoken and very human. ---
**Author:** ![Coriolanus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coriolanus/32/18769_2.png) [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2025, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-jim-lovell/1021876/9 "2025-08-09T03:46:29Z")
He had a brief cameo at the end of Apollo 13 where he plays the Captain of the USS Iwo Jima and shakes Jim Lovell’s (Tom Hanks) hand. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/dkw2Ge-HTDU/maxresdefault.jpg "Apollo 13 - Ending Scene (HD)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkw2Ge-HTDU&t=184) ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2025, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-jim-lovell/1021876/10 "2025-08-09T04:01:45Z")
Rest in Peace, sir. I enjoyed your book Lost Moon, then loved the Ron Howard movie. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2025, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-jim-lovell/1021876/11 "2025-08-10T17:33:53Z")
I have a lot of signed astronaut bios, but not a Lovell. ---
**Author:** ![Galactus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galactus/32/3581_2.png) [@Galactus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Galactus)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2025, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-jim-lovell/1021876/12 "2025-08-10T20:08:22Z")
My brother-in-law used to work as a chef in Lovell’s Chicago restaurant. I have a signed photo of the moon from him. RIP