Tom Hanks shares heartfelt tribute to late Apollo 13 hero

Tom Hanks is mourning the loss of NASA astronaut, James Lovell.

Following the heartbreaking news of Lovell's demise at age 97, on Thursday, via The New York Times, Hanks, who played Lovell in the 1995 movie Apollo 13, paid tribute to the late astronaut by taking to his Instagram account on Friday.

In the obituary post, the 69-year-old actor penned a touching note praising Lovell's remarkable achievements.

"There are people who dare, who dream, and who lead others to the places we would not go on our own," the Oscar-winning actor began.

"Jim Lovell, who for a long while had gone farther into space and for longer than any other person of our planet, was that kind of guy," he said of the NASA commander.

Hanks went on to say, "His many voyages around Earth and on to so-very-close to the moon were not made for riches or celebrity, but because such challenges as those are what fuels the course of being alive — and who better than Jim Lovell to make those voyages."

"On this night of a full moon, he passes on — to the heavens, to the cosmos, to the stars. God speed you, on this next voyage, Jim Lovell," he concluded.

It is pertinent to mention that Lovell, also known as Jim, who was also the former Navy test pilot, took four space missions during his lifetime.