Pic of the Day: An emotional Neil Armstrong celebrates his finest hour

A flood of tributes poured in for the late Neil Armstrong after he passed away at the age of 82 yesterday. Here he is celebrating his finest hour.

The death of the first man to walk on the moon and the voice behind possibly the most memorable sound byte in the whole of the 20th century passed away at the age of 82 yesterday as a result of what his family said were "complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures".

Armstrong’s death came as a surprise to many as it was believed that he had been recovering well from heart bypass surgery, but even though his death might have been a little premature, he had lived one hell of a life.

The Ohio native became the first man to walk on the moon on July 21 1969, when he uttered the famous line “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. Not only that, but he managed to live out many a man’s fantasy by playing a little golf while he was up there.

The enormity of Armstrong’s achievement moved plenty of grown men to tears and Armstrong’s own tearful reaction to what he had just done is one of the most moving pictures ever taken.

The photo below was taken by Armstrong’s colleague Buzz Aldrin shortly after their stroll on the lunar surface and started doing the rounds on Twitter shortly after his death yesterday.

Pic via Getty

Armstrong’s family released a statement yesterday, finishing with a lovely final paragraph which read: "For those who may ask what they can do to honor Neil, we have a simple request. Honor his example of service, accomplishment and modesty, and the next time you walk outside on a clear night and see the moon smiling down at you, think of Neil Armstrong and give him a wink."

Godspeed Neil, you’ll be greatly missed.