Neil Armstrong remembered

US President Barack Obama paid tribute to Neil Armstrong on Saturday, describing him as "among the greatest of American heroes - not just of his time, but all time."

Hours earlier his family issued a statement confirming that the US astronaut had died at the age of 82.

"We are heartbroken to share the news that Neil Armstrong has passed away following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures," the family said. Armstrong underwent heart-bypass surgery earlier this month to relieve blocked coronary arteries.

He and fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin were watched by hundreds of millions of television viewers as they landed on the moon on July 20, 1969.

As he took his first steps he famously said, "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind."

As commander of the Apollo 11 mission, the 38-year-old Armstrong was tasked with informing mission control that the module had made a successful landing. With the words "Houston, Tranquility base here, The Eagle has landed," he coined another famous phrase.

'Reluctant hero'

Despite his worldwide fame, Armstrong was known as a modest man who did not revel in his accomplishment.

"I guess we all like to be recognized not for one piece of fireworks but for the ledger of our daily work," Armstrong said in an interview with US network CBS in 2005.

His family on Saturday described him as "a reluctant American hero who always believed he was just doing his job."

Armstrong earned his pilot's license at just 16 years old and went on to serve as a US Navy aviator in the Korean War. After serving as a test pilot at the High-Speed Flight Station at Edwards Air Force Base in California he was selected by NASA to train as an astronaut in Houston Texas.

His Apollo 11 mission turned out to be his last and Armstrong retired from the National Air and Space Administration in 1971. He went on to become a professor of engineering at the University of Cincinnati.

ccp/kms (AFP, Reuters)