Godspeed Eugene Cernan: Last Man To Walk On The Moon Dies At 82

The last man to walk on the Moon, retired NASA astronaut Eugene Cernan, has passed away at the age of 82.

CNN reported that Eugene Cernan's family confirmed on Monday that the Apollo 17 commander has died due to "ongoing health issues."

"Our family is heartbroken, of course, and we truly appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers. Gene, as he was known by so many, was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend," the family said in a statement.

Eugene Cernan's death was announced by NASA on Monday, in a tweet saying it was saddened by his loss. His friend and former colleague Buzz Aldrin also tweeted his sympathy in a statement posted on his website.

According to Fox News, Eugene Cernan led the Apollo 17 mission via the lunar module "Challenger" in December 1972. The exploration was NASA's final lunar mission, making Eugene Cernan the 11th person to set foot on the Moon. His companion, lunar module pilot Jack Schmitt, was the 12th.

Being the commander, Eugene Cernan was the last one to get back on board. Thus, he earned the title of being the last man to walk on the Moon.

"America's challenge of today has forged man's destiny of tomorrow," Eugene Cernan said before leaving the lunar surface. "And, as we leave the Moon at Taurus-Littrow, we leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind. Godspeed the crew of Apollo 17."

Also the second American to embark on a spacewalk during the Gemini IX mission in 1966, Eugene Cernan, who had spent 566 hours and 15 minutes in space, was brought deeper into faith by his astronomical explorations.

"There is too much purpose, too much logic, it was just too beautiful to happen by accident," Eugene Cernan said in the 2007 documentary In The Shadow Of The Moon. "There has to be somebody bigger than you and bigger than me...And I mean this in a spiritual sense, not in a religious sense, there has to be a creator of the universe who stands above the religions that we ourselves create to govern our lives."

We are saddened by the loss of retired NASA astronaut Gene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon. https://t.co/Q9OSdRewI5 pic.twitter.com/gPdFTnXF2C

— NASA (@NASA) January 16, 2017

I lost another friend today and the world lost another hero. #RIPGeneCernan Here's my statement about Gene's passing https://t.co/cJm8Qg6kRe pic.twitter.com/N0vMbyfvRL — Buzz Aldrin (@TheRealBuzz) January 17, 2017