Former US astronaut Alan Bean dies aged 86

The fourth man to walk on the Moon passed away at home in Texas after falling ill two weeks ago

Astronaut Alan Bean, Lunar Module pilot, pausing near a tool carrier during the Apollo 12 spacewalk on the moon's surface. Commander Charles Conrad, Jr., who took the black-and-white photo, is reflected in Bean's helmet visor. Bean, who was the fourth person to walk on the moon, passed away on 26 May 2018 in Houston, Texas at the age of 86. EPA

Alan Bean is shown during a preview of his work at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum in Austin, Texas. October 1 2008. Harry Cabluck / AP Photo

Alan Bean is seen with fellow Apollo 12 moon mission crewmen in front of their Saturn 5 space vehicle as the rocket was rolled out of the VAB at Cape Kennedy Sept. 8, 1969 toward launch pad at complex 39. From left are Lunar Module Pilot Alan Bean; Command Module Pilot Richard Gordon and Commander Charles Conrad. Jim Bourdier / AP Photo

Alan Bean posing in front of a LM mock-up at the NASA-Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. EPA

Alan Bean preparing to enter the Command Module for an Altitude Chamber run at an unknown location. EPA

Alan Bean, right, is seen with Pete Conrad, and Dick Gordon while posing for photos during a visit to North American Rockwell Space Division, Downey, California. EPA

The National