Apollo 11 man Michael Collins dies at 90

American astronaut Michael Collins, who is known for staying behind in the command module of Apollo 11 Mission, on July 20, 1969, while his colleagues, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, traveled to the lunar surface to become the first humans to walk on the moon, died Wednesday at age 90, his family said.

Michael Collins had reportedly been suffering from cancer. In a statement released by his family, “He spent his final days peacefully, with his family by his side. Mike always faced the challenges of life with grace and humility, and faced this, his final challenge in the same way.”

An official statement released by his family stated Michael Collins died of cancer.

Family Statement on Passing of Astronaut Michael Collins pic.twitter.com/6OAw7CzFaz

— Michael Collins (@AstroMCollins) April 28, 2021

Michael Collins was born in Rome, on Oct. 31, 1930.  He was raised by his father, a U.S. Army major general, and, like his father, attended the U.S. Military Academy at the West Point, New York, and graduated in the early ’50s.

In 1963, he was selected by NASA for its famous astronaut program, still in its starting days, to fulfill President John F. Kennedy’s pledge of landing a man on the moon by the end of that decade. NASA today mourns at the passing of this Apollo 11 Mission man, by taking it to Twitter.

We mourn the passing of Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins, who piloted humanity’s first voyage to the surface of another world. An advocate for exploration, @AstroMCollins inspired generations and his legacy propels us further into the cosmos: https://t.co/47by569R56 pic.twitter.com/rKMxdTIYYm

— NASA (@NASA) April 28, 2021

Michael Collins is often described as the “forgotten” third astronaut on this historic mission. Collins remained alone for more than 21 hours until his two colleagues, Armstrong and Aldrin, returned back in the lunar module. Later in his life, Collins avoided much of the media fanfare that celebrated the astronauts on their return to Earth.