John Glenn, a former NASA astronaut and United States senator, has died at the age of 95. Glenn passed Thursday afternoon surrounded by family at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, the Columbus Dispatchreported. His body will lie in state at the Ohio Statehouse for one day, followed by a public memorial service at OSU's Mershon Auditorium.
"John Glenn is, and always will be, Ohio's ultimate hometown hero, and his passing today is an occasion for all of us to grieve," Ohio Gov. John R. Kasich said in a statement to the Dispatch. "As we bow our heads and share our grief with his beloved wife, Annie, we must also turn to the skies, to salute his remarkable journeys and his long years of service to our state and nation."
Glenn, who made history in 1962 as the first America to orbit Earth, followed his celebrated aviation career with a two-decade run in the Senate as a Democrat. In 1998, he made history again by becoming the oldest person to fly in space at 77 years of age.
Following his death Thursday, NASA issued a statement saying they were "saddened" by the loss of a "true American hero."
Many others also shared their own tributes to Glenn, who had initially been hospitalized earlier this week for what NBC News described as an "unexplained condition."
