Steve Irwin dead at 44

[Wild Dingo]

Its just been confirmed that Steve Irwin 44 died today... a stingray barb through the heart :( while creating a new doco in Queensland movie here (http://g6publish.videodome.com/newsinteractive/videopage/videoplayer/?channel=National+News&clipid=1094_48739&bitrate=300&format=wmp)

Condolences to his missus Terri and hoons Bindi and Bob :(

No matter what you thought of him and his ways he was a bloody true Aussie icon lived and died doing what he loved

Apparently Terri is unaware of his death reported to be hiking

Sad

News report on Aussie Channel 7 (http://au.news.yahoo.com/060904/23/10ebv.html)

News.com.au (http://www.news.com.au/0,,wa,00.html)

[Meerkat]

Sad news mate. My regrets.

[BrianW]

Sad news indeed.

And on fathers day weekend. :(

[Stiletto]

Jeez that's tough.:(

[PeterSibley]

and a very unusual thing to happen ...anyone ever heard of a stingray barb through the heart, very strange .

[JimD]

Mate, that's really a sad thing. His enthusiasm for the natural world was genuine and contageous. Our condolences.:(

[Phillip Allen]

That is too bad...young family

Didn't think a sting ray could do that

[hansp77]

and a very unusual thing to happen ...anyone ever heard of a stingray barb through the heart, very strange .
Totally weird...
don't know how many times he was bitten by other things, but that's one sting no one could shake off.
Such a sudden and almost poetic death for this man of nature.
Though he was never my favourite by any means, I find myself feeling quite sad about his loss.
RIP Steve Irwin.

[Wild Dingo]

I must admit he took me as a total dipstick and why I took to calling him SteveFlaminIrwin... but the mans passion and enthusiasm were real and even the original Crocidile Hunter Malcolm Douglas paid tribute to him.

He risked all to show the world the wonders of wildlife a showman a poser an exiting bloke to watch and listen to and a mad crazy buggar but a legend all the same

Terri and Bindi must be devistated... Terri being in Tassie when it happened and Bindi cause it was her movie doco he was working on when it happened little Bob is probably too young to realize daddys gone... theyre all too young to be without husband and father

[hansp77]

I must admit he took me as a total dipstick and why I took to calling him SteveFlaminIrwin... but the mans passion and enthusiasm were real and even the original Crocidile Hunter Malcolm Douglas paid tribute to him.

He risked all to show the world the wonders of wildlife a showman a poser an exiting bloke to watch and listen to and a mad crazy buggar but a legend all the same

Terri and Bindi must be devistated... Terri being in Tassie when it happened and Bindi cause it was her movie doco he was working on when it happened little Bob is probably too young to realize daddys gone... theyre all too young to be without husband and father
I completely agree,
you said it well.

[erster]

Intense passion is shown each and everyday by many people, and viewed by others as being nuts, if the ones doing the viewing do not share the same passion. Accidents happen to some of the most seasoned persons, in the chosen field, such as what even happened Dale Earnhardt. Its hard to understand such things, sometimes. Live your lives each day, to the fulliest. I know my boys learned alot by spending a few hours watching his shows and have gained some real knowledge about subjects that only a mother would love, so to speak.

[Mrleft8]

The first words from Carter this morning were: "The crocodile guy died". Not "Good morning sweetheart, your tea water's on". Not "Hi sweetie, how'd you sleep last night?".
I replied: "I hope it wasn't something boring like a car crash, or a stray bullet".
I guess we all knew he was going to go out doing what he loved to do, and what he loved to share with the world.
I truely respected, and admired his love of the natural world, and as much as I feel a little sad that he died, I'm glad it wasn't a car crash, or stray bullet.

[ishmael]

Amen, Doug.

I'm glad he lived, I'm sorry he died, but he went his own way. His wild, boyish enthusiam for nature, critters, will stay with us for a long time. Not many can claim such a legacy.

Sure, he was a little nuts, but the good ones usually are. Anyone who can exclaim about a crocodile that almost just took his leg off, "Ooh, what a beauty!" is okay in my book.

RIP.

[Ian McColgin]

There's a romantic aspect in me that longs for a "good death." Perhaps like George Ademson in a speeding Land Rover and a hail of bullets doing something humanitarianly heroic at a most advanced age. Or Tilman, with a bit of mystery. Or Smeeton in grand old age. Or my uncle, struck down by a heart attack as he tiptoed home, slippers in hand, from the neighbor's house, whose husband was away on business.

It just seems better than an auto accident.

And death by stingray accident - which this was, just a freak accident - is a bit like that except that it's nature and Irwin was in the midst of a joyful activity.

In more sober reflection I certainly know that right living is living towards death such that whatever the moment and manner, it is each person's own right death, however incomprehensible that may be to others.

Irwin lived life quite fully. The meaning of his life - preserving and robustly interacting with the wild - is something that will live on with his family, the zoo, and all of us touched by his voluble zeal.

[Tristan]

My grandfather cried easily. He was a big Irishman, born in NY, cab driver, soldier in the Philippines, a cop, then a service station operator and cop in S. Florida. He'd tear up and cry about all sorts of things. I'm a bit like him. This morning, when my wife told me about Steve, I felt that tightness in my throat, the sting of tears in my eyes. Damn! We all watched Steve and Terri for years. When I think of Steve I get a picture of my son, then just a little boy, with his "pet" snakes and turtles. He's now a 6 ft tall 16 year old, but he still loves the earth and it's living creatures. He knows a bit about the wild creatures of Australia and Tasmania, in part I am sure, because of Steve Irwin. We all will miss him. We all wish his family peace.

[Backfin]

These types of deaths, the deaths of risk takers like Irwin and Dan Osman, always seem to detract from the more anonymous deaths of actual heroes.

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

I read this affectionate tribute from another aussie

Sad news on a well Loved Aussie Icon. He took the real Aussie bloke and presented it to the world. He will be missed.

The jokes have already started. The best so far is...
He should have been wearing sunscreen to protect himself from those nasty rays!!!

Beaut.

[mmd]

Backfin, whom is an "actual hero" depends on what each of us defines as heroic. If Mr. Irwin's courageously hyperactive animal antics inspired some few of us to be more aware of our local flora and fauna and motivated us to be better stewards of our natural world, then that can be viewed as a good thing. If Mr. Osman's death-defying climbing exploits inspires some of us to go outdoors more in our recreational pursuits resulting in a healthier, more active life, that is good too. Heroes are those who inspire the rest of us to do good things, and I think that these men inspired many to participate more fully in life, if not to the outer limits that they personally found their bliss in.

[Tristan]

Blackfin, whom is an "actual hero" depends on what each of us defines as heroic. If Mr. Irwin's courageously hyperactive animal antics inspired some few of us to be more aware of our local flora and fauna and motivated us to be better stewards of our natural world, then that can be viewed as a good thing. If Mr. Osman's death-defying climbing exploits inspires some of us to go outdoors more in our recreational pursuits resulting in a healthier, more active life, that is good too. Heroes are those who inspire the rest of us to do good things, and I think that these men inspired many to participate more fully in life, if not to the outer limits that they personally found their bliss in.

Point well taken. I expect there've been a lot of wartime "heros" who were roundly hated by their comrades for being foolhardy, exposing others to danger, etc. etc. As a naturalist and marine biologist I often did things others considered dangerous, but which I felt confident in doing (carefully). Driving a car (here in Naples) or crossing the street is probably more dangerous than a lot of the stuff Steve did. Hell, routinely eating at McDonalds or Burger King is pretty dangerous.

[paladin]

First rule of rays izz dunno sneak up on them or physically restrain them, you can touch and caress (feels like wet velvet) and hand feed them, but do not frighten them.....I have several hours of underwater videos swimming with and hand feeding......but don't grab.......:(

[Backfin]

mmd,
My point is that the tragic heroes, those with significant flaws of some kind, seem to be more universally accepted than "actual" heroes with a more humble approach. Just an observation about the nature of society. I guess it's all about the marketing.

[JimD]

I've heard people get stung by rays every day. To die from it is extremely rare. This could be called a freak accident. As sad as this news is it would have been even worse had he met his fate by the jaws of a croc as a result of what many feel were his unnecessarily risky stunts with them. That might have badly tarnished his legacy in a way that this ray mishap will not.

[geeman]

Not having all the facts yet,it seems he was "stabbed" by a barb.Would have to call it a freak accident I think.

[dmede]

Just saw the headlines on Yahoo. Sad.

[mmd]

Backfin, yes, it is unfortunate that unsung heroes are just that, and that some heoes are overly lionized by a media ravenous for a story with a recognizable name.

[Cuyahoga Chuck]

C'mon folks. Steve Irwin made a living playing fast and loose with Mother Nature. And we all know Mother nature ALWAYS wins.
The natural world is a wonderful place as it stands and displaying it as nothing but another opportunity for an adrenalin rush doesn't do it justice. That may be what the 14 year old mentalities in the TV audience desire but, it's not much of a way of popularizing the wonders of the nature and the sciences of nature.
I have as much sympathy for him as I would for any wire walker or trapeze artist who died doing his act. I hope that none of his offspring grow up to have the same proclivities.

Heartless on the Cuyahoga

[brian.cunningham]

Like a newsman said here
"Live by the sword, die by the sword"
The risks of dealing with nature.
At least he died doing what he liked.

[formerlyknownasprince]

Chuck:
First rule of rays izz dunno sneak up on them or physically restrain them, you can touch and caress (feels like wet velvet) and hand feed them, but do not frighten them.....I have several hours of underwater videos swimming with and hand feeding......but don't grab.......

Apparently he didn't grab it - but was above it in shallow water and his cameraman was ahead of it - oops, they had it cornered, so it lashed out. Less than 20 known stingray deaths around the world, only one other in Australia - a 12 year old boy 20 years back - in a dinghy - in a harbour up north that I witnessed a pack of sharks in a feeding frenzy as we entered and was told to not even dangle a toe in.

[Milo Christensen]

Aren't stingray tails and stingers used by some Arabs to discipline their wives?

I feel bad for Irwin's wife and kids. Marilyn was quite touched by Irwin's description of his love for his wife. They loved each other deeply.

As for Irwin, he should have been on medication for his AADHD a long time ago. He started an entire generation of "Hey, yawl, lookit this!" stupid stunt shows that have escalated to levels of Darwin award insanity.

If he indeed was an "environmentalist" as some have said here and in the media, then what the hell is an "environmentalist"? What if we all went out in the bush, all 6 billion of us and chased and grabbed and tormented the most dangerous non-human predator we could find? Let's do it, tonight, and evaluate the "environmentalist" impact tomorrow, those of us who survive.

[Bob Smalser]

Aren't stingray tails and stingers used by some Arabs to discipline their wives?


1) No.

2) Irwin's wife is a biologist from Eugene, Oregon, where they are especially hard hit by this sad event.

[PeterSibley]

They were however used as a very effective spear tips on aborigine fighting spears in the far North, specifically Cape York.1 to 8 barbs per spear .

[Cuyahoga Chuck]

A marine biologist from the Atlanta Aquarium showed a stingray barb on the news. He said it was one of "modest" size. It was as long as his index finger which made it long enough to penetrate your heart sack if it got between your ribs or thru' your breastbone.
If Irwin's wife is a marine biologist he couldn't have been ignorant of the dangers.

[WX]

he was alright by me, he had passion and he cared about the environment. He didn't sit back on his arse and find fault with what was not being done to protect flora and fauna...he did something about it.
We can ill afford to lose people like this, my deepest sympathies go out to his family.

[RichKrough]

Steve Irwin walks into a bar with his pet crocodile by his side. He puts the croc up on the bar. He then turns to the astonished patrons and says, “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll open this croc’s mouth and place my genitalia inside. Then the croc will close his mouth for one minute. Then he’ll open his mouth and I’ll remove my genitalia unscathed. In return for witnessing this spectacle, each of you will buy me a drink.”

The crowd murmured in unanimous approval. Steve stood up on the bar, dropped his trousers, and placed his privates in the crocodile’s open mouth. The croc closed his mouth as the crowd gasped. After a minute, Irwin grabbed a beer bottle and smacked the croc hard on the top of its head.

The croc opened his mouth and he removed his genitals unscathed as promised. The crowd cheered and the first of his free drinks were delivered.

Steve stood up again and made another offer. “I’ll pay anyone $100 who’s willing to give it a try.” A hush fell over the crowd.

After awhile, a hand went up in the back of the bar. A blonde woman timidly spoke up… “I’ll try it! Just don’t hit me too hard with the beer bottle!”

[capt jake]

Looks like a tribute playing now on Animal Planet.

[Phillip Allen]

Irwin didn't take many chances with his snakes as some suggest...I have respect for snakes but no fear of them (unlike some). The guy climbing the cliff was taking silly risks because there is no way he could have recovered from a simple slip...Irwin had people with him and the ability to get to medical help as will as expertise in his handling techniques…layers of protection similar to belaying ropes while climbing. We should not get showmanship confused with risk taking...

[Tristan]

Irwin didn't take many chances with his snakes as some suggest...I have respect for snakes but no fear of them (unlike some). The guy climbing the cliff was taking silly risks because there is no way he could have recovered from a simple slip...Irwin had people with him and the ability to get to medical help as will as expertise in his handling techniques…layers of protection similar to belaying ropes while climbing. We should not get showmanship confused with risk taking...'

I'll back you up on this. Steve put on a show but he was pretty certain of the limits he could touch. As a kid I messed with snakes and alligators. Friends thought I was crazy but I pretty much knew how far to push the edge. So did Steve. As a marine biologist running field trips and spending literally days snorkling and diving (U of Miami for 20 years) I have been in the water with big stingrays many times. Go to the Cayman Islands and you can go into the water with dozens of other tourists and feed the stingrays. Big rays will swarm all over and around you. No problems. What happened to Steve was a freak accident. I'm a hell of a lot more safe and relaxed swimming with big rays than driving my damn car around town. I've never been hurt in the water, other than scratches and scrapes, but I damn near bought the farm when some dumb SOB talking on his cell phone hit me from behind as I was stopped for a light. Or how about a nice row in your skiff and some jerk in an overpowered snot boat cuts you and your skiff in half? That's REAL danger.

[George.]

I've been in the field with herpetologists, capturing snakes and caimans, enough times to realize that most of what Steve did looked a lot more dangerous (to laymen) than it actually was.

Swimming over a big stingray, on the other hand... they are quite harmless if you approach them from beneath or on their same level, but they hat stuff above them.

[PatCox]

For some reason I am more struck by his death than by that of any other public figure in recent years. He was so joyous, he so obviously loved nature, animals, and life, his enthusiasm was wonderful. Its really a tragedy, clearly a freak accident that cannot be attributed to 'risk taking'. Its funny the american puritanism has gotten to the point that "risk taking" is now considered a negative, and there are those who somehow seem to think there was something vaguely immoral in his acts. Our fraidy-cat scared stiff american safety obsession is making life duller.

[John of Phoenix]

Quite a showman, ole Steve. And one helluva finale.

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Fatally injured by a stingray, Australian "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin pulled its serrated barb out of his chest before losing consciousness and dying, the world-famous naturalist's manager said on Tuesday.

Video footage of the attack shows Irwin swimming above the stingray on the Great Barrier Reef on Monday when it lashed out and speared him in the heart with its barbed tail, manager John Stainton told reporters.

"It shows that Steve came over the top of the ray and the tail came up, and spiked him here (in the chest)," Stainton said after watching the footage.

"He pulled it out and the next minute he's gone. The cameraman had to shut down," he said.

"It's a very hard thing to watch because you're actually witnessing somebody die ... it's terrible."

[TomF]

I am sorry to read this - sorriest most for his wife and daughter. I can't say, though, that I'm desperately surprised that his life's ended sooner than otherwise. At some point, an accident was going to happen, however skilled and knowledgeable he was.

Yes, he lived life right to the end. Yes, he died doing what he loved, yes, he perhaps brought a love of wildlife to many ... but his daughter's fatherless all the same. At some point, it will matter to her that her dad's had an effect on the world as a "naturalist"/entertainer. But regardless, what will matter to her more is his absence through her growing up.

[troutman]

Correction on wartime heores being roundly hated by comrads; doesn't happen. You might hate a young platoon leader for volunteering your squad for something unnecessarily dangerous but the the guy who jumps up when everyone else is staying down and silences a bunker with a grenade more often inspires wonder and gratitude. There's really no equivilent to show boating in combat or at least not after the first firefight. I'm talking infantry so flying might be different. We thought the Skyraiders and Phantoms were constantly putting on a show.
Seems like scaring a big docile animal for TV is a cold thing to do.

[MattL]

My six year old at first wanted to grow up to be "Red Pollard" He first watched "Seabiscut" at three. The boy was transfixed through countless showings of this adult movie. He could recite lines by heart, for holloween he was "Red", I don't mean he just had a costume. He was the man. He has grown out of that and now wants to be the "crocodile hunter". To me I thought Steve Irwin was a bit flamboyant, but that's the show. He, like all the others on Animal Plante, has had a profound effect on the children of this generation. In my book he will be greatly missed.

[Tar Devil]

I'll be 52 next month. Looking back at my "accomplishments," I'd trade places with Steve in a heartbeat.

Dying early beats the hell outa not living at all.

Later,

Phil