Happy Birthday, Buzz Aldrin!

21 Jan Happy Birthday, Buzz Aldrin!

If you happen to have an extra-large ice cream cake lying around and you aren’t sure who to give it to today, maybe you should consider reserving the message in the icing for Buzz Aldrin, who celebrates his 81st birthday today. The man born Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Jr. is one of the great American heroes, as he has an astounding legacy as an astronaut, a member of the military, an ambassador for science education and a fantastically good sport. He is truly a living legend.

While Aldrin’s greatest achievement is undoubtedly his walk on the moon in 1969 (he was second out the door, just behind Neil Armstrong), he has made a name for himself as a pop culture icon in the ensuing decades. Most notably, he served as the model for the coveted Moonman trophy, which serves as the official trinket of the MTV Video Music Awards (images of Aldrin also figured prominently in early MTV commercials, and Aldrin gave out an award during the red carpet show at the 2009 VMAs). He has guest starred on a number of television shows, including “The Simpsons,” “Top Gear,” “Top Chef,” “Dancing With the Stars” and “30 Rock” (in a memorable episode of the latter, he played a whacked-out version of himself who shouted angrily at the moon).

Aldrin has even gotten involved in the music game, teaming up with Talib Kweli and Snoop Dogg for the 2009 track “The Rocket Experience” (a rap song endorsing learning about science in school, one of Aldrin’s great crusades in his latter years). As a musical tribute to him, we present “Me and the Moon” by the Drums.

Read the Original Article at the MTV newsroom.