The man in the middle of the photo above, seen squinting as he looks into the camera, is William Anders, one of the crew members of NASA's Apollo 8 mission. On Friday, the former astronaut and pilot died at age 90, while doing what he loved most -- flying:

The victim in a fatal plane crash Friday in Washington state has been identified as Retired Maj. Gen. William Anders, the former Apollo 8 astronaut who took the iconic "Earthrise" photo, his son Greg Anders confirmed to The Associated Press.

Just before noon, rescue crews responded to reports of a plane crash in Washington state between Orcas and Jones Island, the U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Northwest confirmed. 

"The family is devastated," Greg Anders told the AP. "He was a great pilot, and we will miss him terribly."

Anders is known for being the astronaut who captured awe-inspiring images of Earth from space:

Hearing the pilot that died in a plane crash near Orcas Island today was William Anders, astronaut during Apollo 8, who took one of the most famous photographs in the world, Earthrise, in 1968. pic.twitter.com/iPGjto5J0o

— Shawn Garrett (@ShawnGarrett) June 7, 2024

The same day he shot the "Earthrise" image, Anders was also a part of the famous TV event on Christmas Eve 1968, when all three members of the Apollo 8 crew read from the book of Genesis, closing with "Good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas and God bless all of you – all of you on the good Earth." 

Anders spoke about taking the photos in an interview with the "Today" show:

This Day, 50 Years Ago: Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders takes arguably the most breathtaking photo in human history looking back at the earth while orbiting the moon pic.twitter.com/zT6uk0b4nY

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) December 24, 2018

Anders was the only one on board the vintage aircraft on Friday, according to authorities, and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the FAA say they will investigate the crash:

The FAA confirmed to Fox News Digital that the plane that crashed was a vintage Air Force T-34 Mentor and said the only person on board was the pilot.

Rest in peace, hero.

Dying in a plane crash piloting it at 90 years old - what a legend pic.twitter.com/ELszgmowfM

— the captive dreamer (@captivedreamer7) June 8, 2024

Editor's Note: This article was edited to correct an error after publication. The caption provided with the AP photo misidentified the astronaut on the far right as Anders, but it was James A. Lovell Jr. We regret the error.