Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, died Saturday, weeks after heart surgery and days after his 82nd birthday.

After the dog-and-pony shows NASA and the federal government put Armstrong and the other Mercury, Gemini and Apollo astronauts through in the 1960s, it’s no wonder Armstrong so jealously guarded his privacy later in his life. Regardless, he’s a hero to generations of Americans. Rest in peace, Neil Armstrong.