Angelina Jolie pays tribute to 'Unbroken' inspiration Louis Zamperini

Angelina Jolie with Louis Zamperini

Los Angeles, July 3 (IANS) Actress Angelina Jolie, who directed the 2014 film "Unbroken" based on the life of Louis Zamperini, former Olympic runner and World War II hero, says of his passing - "It is a loss impossible to describe". He was 97.

Zamperini survived 47 days on a raft in the pacific after his bomber had crashed. He then endured two years in Japanese prison camps.His death was confirmed by Universal Pictures studio spokesman Michael Moses. The family issued a statement early Thursday morning.

"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," the family statement said. "His indomitable courage and fighting spirit were never more apparent than in these last days."

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

Zamperini competed in the 5000 metre run at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. He finished eighth, but is remembered for his run in the last lap which took just 56 seconds.

He was a bombardier on a US Army Air Forces bomber that crashed in the Pacific Ocean during a reconnaissance mission in World War II. He and one of the other surviving crew members drifted for 47 days on a raft in shark-infested waters before being captured by Japanese forces. He was subjected to torture during his time in the prison.

Book on Zamperini:

Zamperini is the subject of Laura Hillenbrand's best-selling book Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, which is being made into a movie directed by Angelina Jolie and is scheduled for a December release by Universal.

In May, Zamperini was named grand marshal of the 2015 Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, which next New Year's Day will feature the theme "Inspiring Stories." The World war hero accepted the honour, recalled that Hinderland, in researching the book, asked to interview his friends from college and the Army.

"And now after the book was finished all of my college buddies are dead, all of my war buddies are dead. It's sad to realise that you've lost all your friends," he said. "But I think I made up for it. I made a new friend — Angelina Jolie. And the gal really loves me, she hugs me and kisses me, so I can't complain."

He appeared as a guest of Jolie last year when she was presented with the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Jolie said in a statement: "It is a loss impossible to describe. We are all so grateful for how enriched our lives are for having known him. We will miss him terribly."

Zamperini was born January 26, 1917, in the western New York city of Olean. A group in Olean is raising funds to place a granite marker in Zamperini's honour in War Veterans Park in August.