Louis Zamperini, World War II Hero & Olympian, Dies At 97

by Chelsea ReganJuly 3, 2014, 12:00 amNews >

World War II hero and Olympian Louis Zamperini has died after a battle with pneumonia. He was 97.

Louis Zamperini Dies

Zamerpini’s death was announced by Universal Pictures, who is making a movie of his storied life titled Unbroken with Angelina Jolie at the helm. “ [Louis] peacefully passed away in the presence of his entire family, leaving behind a legacy that has touched so many lives,” read the statement from Universal. “His indomitable courage and fighting spirit were never more apparent than in these last days."

Growing up a son to Italian immigrants, Zamperini faced bullies who teased him for his broken English. Eventually, he got into boxing to protect himself, but his prowess with his fists saw him get into trouble. After channeling his energy into track, it wasn’t long before Zamperini was a verified phenom and went on to represent the United States at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.

In WWII, Zamperini joined the U.S. Army as a bombardier. When his plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean, he survived on a lifeboat for 47 days only to find himself in the hands of the Japanese. For the next two years, Zamperini was a prisoner of war.

"Having overcome insurmountable odds at every turn in his life, Olympic runner and World War II hero Louis Zamperini has never broken down from a challenge,” said Zamperini’s family in a statement. “He recently faced the greatest challenge of his life with a life-threatening case of pneumonia. After a 40-day long battle for his life, he peacefully passed away in the presence of his entire family, leaving behind a legacy that has touched so many lives. His indomitable courage and fighting spirit were never more apparent than in these last days."

'Unbroken'

Zamperini’s story was eventually turned into a best-selling book by Laura Hillenbrand – Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption. The book, which spent more that 165 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, has been adapted for the big screen by Jolie with Jack O'Connell (Skins UK) taking on the role of Zamperini. Unbroken is slated to hit theaters Dec. 25.

"It is a loss impossible to describe," Jolie said in a statement about Zamperini's death. "We are all so grateful for how enriched our lives are for having known him. We will miss him terribly."