James A. “Jim” Lovell Jr., the NASA astronaut who famously led the Apollo 13 mission through a life-threatening crisis in space, died Aug. 7 at his home in Lake Forest, Ill. He was 97.

Lovell commanded Apollo 13 in April 1970, a mission meant to land on the moon that was derailed when an oxygen tank exploded two days after launch. His calm leadership and quick decision-making helped guide crewmates Fred Haise and Jack Swigert back to Earth in what became known as a “successful failure” for the space program — a story later immortalized in the 1995 film Apollo 13, in which actor Tom Hanks portrayed Lovell.

Hanks paid tribute Friday, calling Lovell “a leader, a gentleman, and a friend.” In a post on Instagram, he wrote: “Godspeed you, on this next voyage,” referencing the astronaut’s pione

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