Apollo astronaut Michael Collins dies at 90

File photo taken on July 20, 2009 shows U.S. President Barack Obama (1st R) meets with crew members of the Apollo 11 Buzz Aldrin (1st L), Michael Collins (2nd L) and Neil Armstrong (2nd R) on the 40th anniversary of the first lunar landing of mankind at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Zhang Yan)

American astronaut Michael Collins, one of the three members of the successful Apollo 11 mission to the moon in 1969, died Wednesday at 90.

In a statement posted on Twitter, Collins's family said he passed away "after a valiant battle with cancer."

"He spent his final days peacefully, with his family by his side," said the statement. "Mike always faced the challenges of life with grace and humility, and faced this, his final challenge, in the same way. We will miss him terribly."

Born in Rome, Italy, on Oct. 31, 1930, Collins served as command module pilot on Apollo 11 in July 1969, the first lunar landing mission. Collins orbited the moon while astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took their historic first steps on the lunar surface.