Steve Irwin was truly a rare breed of human. Liked by virtually all who ever watched his work, the charismatic Australian dedicated his life to improving the welfare of animals all over the world, as well as educating and entertaining the rest of us while he was doing it.
His tragic death at the age of 44 in 2006 came as a shock despite his often hazardous line of work. Here was a man who wrestled crocodiles, swam with sharks, and handled venomous snakes regularly, and yet the incident that killed him – involving a stingray – was wholly unexpected.
Needless to say, Irwin’s untimely passing prompted an outpour of tributes from his legion of followers around the world. Yet there was some small solace to be taken in the fact that the animal hero died doing what he loved.
Indeed, according to reports, Irwin was so committed to his work that he had a rule in place so that the cameras would never stop rolling, even if he found himself in grave danger.
