Jim Lovell died Friday at the age of 97, but for years he called north suburban Lake Forest home and forged a deep connection to Chicago's Adler Planetarium.

Astronaut Jim Lovell of Apollo 13 fame died at 97; his leadership is celebrated for averting a lunar mission disaster, marking an end to an era of early US space exploration.

Lovell's "life and work inspired millions of people across the decades," said NASA Administrator Sean Duffy in a statement.