US astronaut Neil Armstrong dead at 82
PHOTO | AFP | NASA Apollo 11 space mission US astronaut Neil Armstrong is seen smiling at the camera aboard the lunar module "Eagle" on July 21, 1969 after spending more than 2½ hours on the lunar surface.
WASHINGTON
US astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first person to set foot on the moon, has died after suffering complications from cardiovascular surgery, his family said Saturday. He was 82.
Armstrong underwent cardiac bypass surgery, earlier this month after doctors found blockages in his coronary arteries. Armstrong and fellow Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon in 1969.
Praising Armstrong as a "reluctant American hero," his family said in a statement that he had "served his nation proudly, as a navy fighter pilot, test pilot, and astronaut."
