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Jim Lovell -- the commander of the Apollo 13 mission that nearly ended in disaster and inspired a blockbuster 1995 film -- has died.

Lovell died at his home in Illinois Thursday ... and, NASA released a statement Friday adding Lovell inspired millions of people -- and his influence has echoed down the decades as NASA continues to explore space. Getty

Lovell's family also released a statement ... writing the whole clan will "miss his unshakeable optimism, his sense of humor, and the way he made each of us feel we could do the impossible. He was truly one of a kind.”

Lovell went to space on four different missions ... first going up on Gemini VII in 1965. He followed it up with the Gemini XII flight the year after.

He was on the Apollo 8 mission

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