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Buzz Aldrin is mourning the loss of his wife, Dr. Anca Faur, who died peacefully on Tuesday, Oct. 28, surrounded by her husband and son, Vlad Ghenciu. She was 66.
In a heartfelt statement shared by the Aldrin and Faur families, the retired astronaut, 95, described Faur as "the love of my life." "I am so fortunate to have found and married the love of my life," he said. "She brought joy to everything we did together. I will miss her dearly."
Faur, a highly accomplished chemical engineer, earned her Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh and served as the Executive Vice President of Buzz Aldrin Ventures LLC. She also held leadership roles at the California Hydrogen Business Council and Johnson Matthey, where she spent nearly two decades advancing sustainable technologies.
The couple first met at a professional event in 2017 and began dating the following year. They married on January 20, 2023, Aldrin's 93rd birthday, in an intimate ceremony under the open sky. "It was a beautiful day," Aldrin told PEOPLE at the time. "We wanted something private, just us and the stars above."
In interviews, Aldrin often spoke glowingly of his wife, calling her "the whole Wizard of Oz package — brains, heart, and courage." He credited her for bringing renewed happiness into his later years, saying he felt "lucky beyond words."
Their union marked Aldrin's fourth marriage. The Apollo 11 legend was previously wed to Joan Archer, Beverly Van Zile, and Lois Driggs Cannon. He shares three children, James, Andrew, and Janice, with his first wife.
Faur's passing marks a deeply personal loss for Aldrin, who once described his wife as his "co-pilot in every sense." Despite her quiet public life, she stood beside him through anniversaries, public honors, and scientific milestones, a partner who, as Aldrin once said, "made even the moon seem closer."
