Editing Neil Armstrong (section)

== Illness and death ==
[[File:Neil Armstrong family memorial service (201208310014HQ).jpg|thumb|Photograph of Armstrong as a boy at his family memorial service in [[Indian Hill, Ohio]], near Cincinnati, on August 31, 2012|alt=A color image showing a black-and-white photo of a young boy. The picture stands on a small round table beside a vase of flowers containing a U.S. flag.]]
On August 7, 2012, Armstrong underwent [[coronary artery bypass surgery|bypass surgery]] at [[Mercy Health (Ohio and Kentucky)|Mercy Faith–Fairfield Hospital]] in [[Fairfield, Ohio]], to relieve [[coronary artery disease]].<ref name="NYT malpractice suit story">{{Cite news|last1=Shane|first1=Scott|last2=Kiliff|first2=Sarah|title=Neil Armstrong's Death, and a Stormy, Secret $6 Million Settlement|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/23/us/neil-armstrong-wrongful-death-settlement.html|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=July 23, 2019|access-date=July 23, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Armstrong, First Man on the Moon, Recovering From Heart Surgery |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-people-armstrong-idUSBRE8771KU20120808 |access-date=August 8, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120809070811/http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/08/us-usa-people-armstrong-idUSBRE8771KU20120808 |archive-date=August 9, 2012 |date=August 8, 2012}}</ref> Although he was reportedly recovering well,<ref>{{Cite news |first=Thomas |last=H. Maugh II |title=Neil Armstrong recovering well after cardiac bypass surgery |date=August 9, 2012 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/science/la-xpm-2012-aug-09-la-sci-sn-armstrong-heart-surgery-20120809-story.html |access-date=January 5, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120921021918/http://articles.latimes.com/2012/aug/09/science/la-sci-sn-armstrong-heart-surgery-20120809 |archive-date=September 21, 2012}}</ref> he developed complications and died on August 25.<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Neil Armstrong's Death&nbsp;– a Medical Perspective |magazine=[[Scientific American]] |url=http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/molecules-to-medicine/2012/09/03/neil-armstrongs-deatha-medical-perspective/ |first=Judy |last=Stone |date=September 3, 2012 |access-date=December 30, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120904034718/http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/molecules-to-medicine/2012/09/03/neil-armstrongs-deatha-medical-perspective/ |archive-date=September 4, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Space legend Neil Armstrong dies |publisher=CNN|url=http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/25/us/neil-armstrong-obit/index.html |access-date=January 30, 2022 |date=August 25, 2012|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121229221442/http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/25/us/neil-armstrong-obit/index.html |archive-date=December 29, 2012}}</ref> President [[Barack Obama]] issued a statement memorializing Armstrong as "among the greatest of American heroes—not just of his time, but of all time",<ref>{{Cite web |title=President Obama's Statement on Neil Armstrong's Death |newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |date=August 25, 2012 |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2012/08/25/president-obamas-statement-on-neil-armstrongs-death/ |access-date=August 26, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120829012207/http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2012/08/25/president-obamas-statement-on-neil-armstrongs-death/ |archive-date=August 29, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |first= John Noble |last=Wilford |title=Neil Armstrong, First Man on Moon, Dies at 82 |date=August 25, 2012 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/26/science/space/neil-armstrong-dies-first-man-on-moon.html |access-date=August 25, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825202024/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/26/science/space/neil-armstrong-dies-first-man-on-moon.html |archive-date=August 25, 2012}}</ref> and added that Armstrong had carried the aspirations of the United States' citizens and had delivered "a moment of human achievement that will never be forgotten."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statement by the President on the Passing of Neil Armstrong |publisher=The White House, Office of the Press Secretary |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2012/08/25/statement-president-passing-neil-armstrong |access-date=August 26, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170121094421/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2012/08/25/statement-president-passing-neil-armstrong |archive-date=January 21, 2017 |date=August 25, 2012}}</ref>

[[File:Neil Armstrong burial at sea (201209140008HQ).jpg|thumb|Armstrong's [[burial at sea]] on September 14, 2012|alt=A squad of eight U.S. Navy personnel dressed in all-white uniforms hold a U.S. flag over a casket on the deck of a ship. The casket is carried on a dark wood plinth with several gold-colored badges. Much of the foreground is obscured by a senior officer with his back to us. Beyond is the sea.]]
Armstrong's family released a statement describing him as a "reluctant American hero [who had] served his nation proudly, as a navy fighter pilot, test pilot, and astronaut&nbsp;... While we mourn the loss of a very good man, we also celebrate his remarkable life and hope that it serves as an example to young people around the world to work hard to make their dreams come true, to be willing to explore and push the limits, and to selflessly serve a cause greater than themselves. 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."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Family Statement Regarding the Death of Neil Armstrong |date=August 25, 2012 |publisher=NASA |url=http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2012/aug/HQ_12_600_armstrong_family.html |access-date=August 26, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006100820/http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2012/aug/HQ_12_600_armstrong_family.html |archive-date=October 6, 2012}}</ref>

[[Buzz Aldrin]] called Armstrong "a true American hero and the best pilot I ever knew", and said he was disappointed that they would not be able to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing together in 2019.<ref>{{Cite tweet |user=TheRealBuzz |number=239488144288927744 |title=Buzz Aldrin on passing of Neil Armstrong |last=Aldrin |first=Buzz |date=August 25, 2012 |access-date=August 25, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Buzz Aldrin's Official Statement on the Passing of Neil Armstrong |date=August 25, 2012 |url=http://buzzaldrin.com/buzz-aldrins-official-statement-on-the-passing-of-neil-armstrong/ |access-date=August 25, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120830154317/http://buzzaldrin.com/buzz-aldrins-official-statement-on-the-passing-of-neil-armstrong/ |archive-date=August 30, 2012 |last1=Aldrin |first1=Buzz}}</ref> Michael Collins said, "He was the best, and I will miss him terribly."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Neil Armstrong: 1930–2012 |publisher=NASA |date=August 25, 2012 |url=http://www.nasa.gov/topics/people/features/armstrong_obit.html |access-date=August 25, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121002103013/http://www.nasa.gov/topics/people/features/armstrong_obit.html |archive-date=October 2, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Collins |first=Michael |title=The Neil Armstrong I knew&nbsp;– and flew with |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=September 12, 2012 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/michael-collins-the-neil-armstrong-i-knew--and-flew-with/2012/09/12/b3f7556c-fb7c-11e1-8adc-499661afe377_story.html |access-date=September 13, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120913103748/http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/michael-collins-the-neil-armstrong-i-knew--and-flew-with/2012/09/12/b3f7556c-fb7c-11e1-8adc-499661afe377_story.html |archive-date=September 13, 2012}}</ref> NASA Administrator [[Charles Bolden]] said, "As long as there are history books, Neil Armstrong will be included in them, remembered for taking humankind's first small step on a world beyond our own".<ref>{{Cite web |title=NASA Administrator Statement on Neil Armstrong's Death |publisher=NASA |date=August 25, 2012 |url=http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2012/aug/HQ_12-601_Bolden_Statement.html |access-date=August 25, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120826070237/http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2012/aug/HQ_12-601_Bolden_Statement.html |archive-date=August 26, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=US space pioneer Neil Armstrong dies at 82 – Americas |publisher=Al Jazeera |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2012/08/201282519933640323.html |access-date=August 26, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120827025712/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2012/08/201282519933640323.html |archive-date=August 27, 2012}}</ref>
{{external media| float = right| video1 = [https://www.c-span.org/video/?308141-1/memorial-service-neil-armstrong Memorial service for Armstrong, Washington National Cathedral, September 13, 2012], [[C-SPAN]]}}
A tribute was held for Armstrong on September 13, at [[Washington National Cathedral]], whose Space Window depicts the Apollo 11 mission and holds a sliver of Moon rock amid its stained-glass panels.<ref name="aljazeu" /> In attendance were Armstrong's Apollo 11 crewmates, Collins and Aldrin; Gene Cernan, the Apollo 17 mission commander and last man to walk on the Moon; and former senator and astronaut John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth. In his eulogy, Charles Bolden praised Armstrong's "courage, grace, and humility". Cernan recalled Armstrong's low-fuel approach to the Moon: "When the gauge says empty, we all know there's a gallon or two left in the tank!" [[Diana Krall]] sang the song "[[Fly Me to the Moon]]". Collins led prayers. David Scott spoke, possibly for the first time, about an incident during their Gemini&nbsp;8 mission: minutes before the hatch was to be sealed, a small chip of dried glue fell into the latch of his harness and prevented it from being buckled, threatening to abort the mission. Armstrong then called on Conrad to solve the problem, which he did, and the mission proceeded. "That happened because Neil Armstrong was a team player—he always worked on behalf of the team."<ref name="aljazeu">{{Cite web |last=Terrett |first=John |title=Above the stars now |publisher=Al Jazeera |date=September 15, 2012 |url=http://blogs.aljazeera.com/blog/americas/above-stars-now |access-date=September 26, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150120202904/http://blogs.aljazeera.com/blog/americas/above-stars-now |archive-date=January 20, 2015}}</ref> Congressman [[Bill Johnson (Ohio politician)|Bill Johnson]] from Armstrong's home state of Ohio led calls for President Barack Obama to authorize a [[state funerals in the United States|state funeral]] in Washington D.C. Throughout his lifetime, Armstrong shunned publicity and rarely gave interviews. Mindful that Armstrong would have objected to a state funeral, his family opted to have a private funeral in [[Cincinnati]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Neil Armstrong: Barack Obama under pressure to grant state funeral|newspaper=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/9501034/Neil-Armstrong-Barack-Obama-under-pressure-to-grant-state-funeral.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120826202941/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/9501034/Neil-Armstrong-Barack-Obama-under-pressure-to-grant-state-funeral.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 26, 2012 |location=London|first=Nick|last=Allen|date=August 26, 2012}}</ref> On September 14, Armstrong's cremated remains were scattered in the Atlantic Ocean from the {{USS|Philippine Sea|CG-58|6}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Neil Armstrong Laid to Rest in Atlantic |publisher=NASA |url=http://www.nasa.gov/topics/people/features/armstrong_cathedral_memorial.html |access-date=September 14, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120913211523/http://www.nasa.gov/topics/people/features/armstrong_cathedral_memorial.html |archive-date=September 13, 2012}}</ref> Flags were flown at [[half-mast|half-staff]] on the day of Armstrong's funeral.<ref>{{Cite news |first=David |last=Jackson |title=Obama orders flags at half-staff for Neil Armstrong |newspaper=USA Today |date=August 27, 2012 |url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2012/08/obama-orders-flags-at-half-staff-for-armstrong/1#.UPMU3InjlU5/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120830003341/https://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2012/08/obama-orders-flags-at-half-staff-for-armstrong/1#.UPMU3InjlU5/ |archive-date=August 30, 2012 |url-status=live |access-date=January 13, 2013}}</ref>

In July 2019, after observations of the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing, ''[[The New York Times]]'' reported on details of a [[Medical malpractice in the United States|medical malpractice]] suit Armstrong's family had filed against Mercy Health–Fairfield Hospital, where he died. When Armstrong appeared to be recovering from his bypass surgery, nurses removed the wires connected to his temporary [[Artificial cardiac pacemaker|pacemaker]]. He began to [[internal bleeding|bleed internally]] and his blood pressure dropped. Doctors took him to the hospital's [[catheter]]ization laboratory, and only later began operating. Two of the three physicians who reviewed the medical files during the lawsuit called this a serious error, saying surgery should have begun immediately; experts the ''Times'' talked to, while qualifying their judgement by noting that they were unable to review the specific records in the case, said that taking a patient directly to the operating room under those circumstances generally gave them the highest chance of survival.<ref name="NYT malpractice suit story" />

The family ultimately settled for $6&nbsp;million in 2014. Letters included with the 93&nbsp;pages of documents sent to the ''Times'' by an unknown person<ref>{{cite news |title=A Scoop About Neil Armstrong Arrived in a Plain Brown Envelope |newspaper=The New York Times |first1=Scott |last1=Shane |first2=Sarah |last2=Kliff |date=August 1, 2019 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/01/reader-center/neil-armstrong-settlement-anonymous-tip.html |access-date=September 21, 2020 |ref=none}}</ref> show that his sons intimated to the hospital, through their lawyers, that they might discuss what happened to their father publicly at the 45th anniversary observances in 2014. The hospital, fearing the bad publicity that would result from being accused of negligently causing the death of a revered figure such as Armstrong, agreed to pay as long as the family never spoke about the suit or the settlement.<ref name="NYT malpractice suit story" /> Armstrong's wife, Carol, was not a party to the lawsuit. She reportedly felt that her husband would have been opposed to taking legal action.<ref name="NYT_20190727" />