  We have used HST-WFPC2 multiband observations of a field around SN 1987A in
the Large Magellanic Cloud to measure its distance from the Sun. The
observations allowed us to carefully determine the interstellar extinction
along the line of sight to a large number of stars and to measure the LMC
distance by using two stellar distance indicators: the Red Clump and the Tip of
the Red Giant Branch. From an application of the Red Clump method we obtain a
distance modulus (m-M)o,rc(LMC)=18.59+-0.04+-0.08 mag (statistical plus
systematic error), in good agreement with the distance derived by using the Tip
of the Red Giant Branch stars, namely (m-M)o,trgb(LMC)=18.69+-0.25+-0.06 mag
(statistical plus systematic error). Both values agree well with the distance
to the SN 1987A as determined from a study of its inner ring fluorescent echo
((m-M)(SN87A)=18.55+-0.05 mag, Panagia 1998), thus excluding distance moduli
lower than 18.43 to a 99.7% significance level. Differences with respect to
previous results obtained using the same distance indicators are discussed.
