(CNN) Eugene A. Cernan, the last astronaut to leave his footprints on the surface of the moon, has died, NASA said Monday.

The retired United States Navy captain was 82.

His family confirmed the news in a statement Monday, saying he died following "ongoing health issues."

"Our family is heartbroken, of course, and we truly appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers. Gene, as he was known by so many, was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend," the family said.

We are saddened by the loss of retired NASA astronaut Gene Cernan, the last man to walk on the moon. https://t.co/Q9OSdRewI5 pic.twitter.com/gPdFTnXF2C

Cernan's death comes a little more than a month after fellow astronaut John Glenn died in December.

Cernan earned several distinctions in his 13 years with NASA. He was the second American to walk in space and one of three men to have flown twice to the moon.

But he's best remembered as commander of Apollo 17, the last mission to the moon in December of 1972.

"Apollo 17 built upon all of the other missions scientifically," Cernan said in 2008. "We had a lunar rover, we were able to cover more ground than most of the other missions. We stayed there a little bit longer. We went to a more challenging unique area in the mountains, to learn something about the history and the origin of the moon itself."

Up until his death he was passionate about space exploration and hoped America's leaders would not let him remain the last man to walk on the Moon, his family said.

In his last conversation with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, Cernan spoke of his "lingering desire" to inspire America's youth to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics "and to dare to dream and explore," NASA said.

"Gene's footprints remain on the moon, and his achievements are imprinted in our hearts and memories," Bolden said.

Cernan was born in Chicago, Illinois, on March 14, 1934. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering in 1956 from Purdue University, where he received his commission through the Navy ROTC Program. He entered flight training upon graduation and went on to earn a Master of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the US Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.

He was one of 14 astronauts selected by NASA in October 1963 for the Apollo program , created to send humans to the moon. Of 18 total

Like others in the program, Cernan also participated in Gemini missions, NASA's second human spaceflight program, developed to support subsequent Apollo missions. On his first space flight, Cernan became the second American to walk in space during the Gemini IX mission in 1966, led by command pilot Thomas Stafford.

On his second sojourn in May 1969, he was pilot of Apollo 10's lunar module, the first comprehensive lunar-orbital qualification and verification flight test of an Apollo lunar module.

He made his third space flight as spacecraft commander of Apollo 17, the last scheduled manned mission to the moon, in December 1972.

I lost another friend today and the world lost another hero. #RIPGeneCernan Here's my statement about Gene's passing https://t.co/cJm8Qg6kRe pic.twitter.com/N0vMbyfvRL — Buzz Aldrin (@TheRealBuzz) January 17, 2017

With the support of lunar module pilot Harrison H. Schmitt, Cernan established a base of operations in the moon's Taurus-Littrow valley and made a home there for the mission for three days. From the landing base, they completed three excursions to nearby craters and the Taurus mountains.

The mission launched on December 6, 1972 and returned two weeks later. It established several new records for manned space flight, including longest manned lunar landing flight (301 hours, 51 minutes), and longest lunar surface extravehicular activities (22 hours, 6 minutes).

Leaving the moon in 1972, Cernan said, "As I take these last steps from the surface for some time into the future to come, I'd just like to record that America's challenge of today has forged man's destiny of tomorrow."

Photos: The American men who went to the moon Photos: The American men who went to the moon The Apollo program included 12 manned missions that launched in the late 1960s and early '70s. Three missions orbited the Earth: Apollo 7, Apollo 9 and Apollo-Soyuz. Two missions orbited the moon: Apollos 8 and 10. Apollo 13 made a lunar swingby -- a malfunction forced NASA to cancel the landing. Six missions actually landed on the moon: Apollos 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17. Hide Caption 1 of 25 Photos: The American men who went to the moon The Apollo 11 lunar module Eagle prepares to land men on the moon for the first time. During each of the six Apollo missions that landed on the moon, two astronauts walked on the lunar surface. Hide Caption 2 of 25 Photos: The American men who went to the moon Apollo 8 was the first manned spacecraft to reach the moon. The mission was designed to test the spacecraft and crew, but it did not include a lunar landing. From left are crew members James Lovell, William Anders and Frank Borman. Hide Caption 3 of 25 Photos: The American men who went to the moon Apollo 8 launched on December 21, 1968, and entered lunar orbit on Christmas Eve. That night, the crew held a live broadcast and showed pictures of the Earth from their spacecraft. "The vast loneliness is awe-inspiring and it makes you realize just what you have back there on Earth," Lovell said. They ended the broadcast taking turns reading from the Book of Genesis. Hide Caption 4 of 25 Photos: The American men who went to the moon The Apollo 10 mission was just like a lunar landing mission -- but without the landing. Crew members, from left, are Gene Cernan, John Young and Thomas Stafford. They launched on May 18, 1969, made 31 orbits of the moon and splashed down in the Pacific on May 26. Hide Caption 5 of 25 Photos: The American men who went to the moon Apollo 11 was the first manned mission to land on the moon. The crew members, from left, were Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin. The mission launched on July 16, 1969. Hide Caption 6 of 25 Photos: The American men who went to the moon On July 20, 1969, Armstrong became the first human to set foot on another world. NASA says more than half a billion people watched on television as Armstrong climbed down the ladder to the moon and proclaimed: "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." Hide Caption 7 of 25 Photos: The American men who went to the moon Armstrong took most of the photographs during his historic moonwalk, so you don't see many pictures of him -- this was before the age of the selfie. This rare shot from Aldrin shows Armstrong near the lunar module Eagle. Hide Caption 8 of 25 Photos: The American men who went to the moon Aldrin was lunar module pilot and the second man to walk on the moon. On each lunar landing mission, one crew member stayed in orbit in the command module. On this mission that was Collins. Hide Caption 9 of 25 Photos: The American men who went to the moon The crew of Apollo 12, from left, were Charles Conrad, Richard Gordon and Alan Bean. Conrad and Bean walked on the moon. Gordon stayed on the command module. The mission launched November 14, 1969, landed on the moon November 19 and returned to Earth on November 24. Hide Caption 10 of 25 Photos: The American men who went to the moon Bean carries equipment on the moon during the Apollo 12 mission. Hide Caption 11 of 25 Photos: The American men who went to the moon Conrad examines the Surveyor 3, a spacecraft that landed on the moon in 1967. The Apollo 12 crew touched down about 600 feet from the older spacecraft. They collected its television camera and several other pieces and brought them back to Earth. Hide Caption 12 of 25 Photos: The American men who went to the moon The crew members of Apollo 13 -- from left, Fred Haise, James Lovell and John Swigert -- are seen after splashdown in April 1970. Apollo 13 was scheduled to be the third lunar landing mission. The crew launched on April 11, 1970, but two days later and about 205,000 miles from Earth, the service module oxygen tank ruptured, crippling the spacecraft. "Houston, we've had a problem," Lovell said. Instead of landing, the crew did a flyby and came home, safely splashing down on April 17. Lovell's book "Lost Moon" became the basis for the motion picture "Apollo 13." Hide Caption 13 of 25 Photos: The American men who went to the moon The crew of Apollo 14: from left, Stuart Roosa, Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell. The mission launched January 31, 1971, landed on the moon February 5 and returned to Earth on February 9. Shepard and Mitchell conducted moonwalks while Roosa orbited in the command module. Hide Caption 14 of 25 Photos: The American men who went to the moon Shepard stands beside a portable workbench set up on the moon. Hide Caption 15 of 25 Photos: The American men who went to the moon Mitchell stands by the U.S. flag during his mission's first spacewalk. Hide Caption 16 of 25 Photos: The American men who went to the moon Apollo 15 was the first mission capable of a longer stay on the moon, and the crew had its own rover. From left are Jim Irwin, David Scott and Alfred Worden. Irwin and Scott walked on the moon while Worden kept watch in the command module. The mission launched July 26, 1971, landed on the moon July 30 and returned to Earth on August 7. Hide Caption 17 of 25 Photos: The American men who went to the moon Scott salutes the U.S. flag during an Apollo 15 moonwalk. Hide Caption 18 of 25 Photos: The American men who went to the moon Irwin works near the lunar rover. Hide Caption 19 of 25 Photos: The American men who went to the moon The Apollo 16 crew, from left: Thomas Mattingly, John Young and Charles Duke. Young and Duke walked on the moon while Mattingly stayed in the command module. The mission launched on April 16, 1972, landed on the moon April 20 and returned to Earth on April 27. Hide Caption 20 of 25 Photos: The American men who went to the moon Young leaps from the surface of the moon as he salutes the U.S. flag. Hide Caption 21 of 25 Photos: The American men who went to the moon Duke collects lunar samples. Hide Caption 22 of 25 Photos: The American men who went to the moon Apollo 17 was NASA's last manned mission to the moon. It launched on December 7, 1972, landed on the moon December 11 and splashed down on Earth on December 19. From left are Harrison Schmitt, Gene Cernan and Ronald Evans. Schmitt and Cernan walked on the moon while Evans orbited in the command module. The crew stayed on the surface 75 hours and collected 243 pounds of lunar material. Hide Caption 23 of 25 Photos: The American men who went to the moon Schmitt stands next to a huge lunar boulder during an Apollo 17 moonwalk. The lunar rover is in the background. Schmitt was the 12th man to set foot on the moon, but Cernan was the last to leave. Hide Caption 24 of 25 Photos: The American men who went to the moon Cernan holds a corner of the American flag during the first Apollo 17 moonwalk. Cernan, the last man on the moon, had these parting words as he left: "We leave as we came and, God willing, as we shall return -- with peace, and hope for all mankind." Hide Caption 25 of 25

Cernan retired from the Navy after 20 years in 1976 and ended his NASA career. He went into private business and served as television commentator for early fights of the space shuttle.

Cernan is survived by his wife, Jan Nanna Cernan, three daughters and nine grandchildren. His family said his experience as an Apollo astronaut had humbled him.

"I was just a young kid in America growing up with a dream. Today what's most important to me is my desire to inspire the passion in the hearts and minds of future generations of young men and women to see their own impossible dreams become a reality," the family quoted him as recently saying.

The family also shared a line from his book, "The Last Man on the Moon," in which he describes walking on the moon to his 5-year-old granddaughter.

"Your Popie went to Heaven. He really did."