'OUR SUPERHERO'

Steve Irwin’s Widow Shares Heartbreaking Tribute 20 Years After His Death

The Australian television personality died while snorkeling in shallow water.

Steve Irwin’s widow and children are sharing heartbreaking tributes to the late television personality on the 20th anniversary of his shocking death.

On September 4, Terri Irwin and the couple’s children, Bindi and Robert Irwin, shared posts remembering the Australian conservationist and TV host, known worldwide as the “Crocodile Hunter,” while reflecting on the family’s life now.

Twenty years ago, Steve Irwin was pierced through the chest by a short-tail stingray while filming a snorkeling dive at Batt Reef near Queensland, Australia, causing him to go into cardiac arrest. He was 44 when he died.

The incident was captured on camera, though no footage has ever been publicly released.

On Friday, Terri shared a message on Instagram recalling the final weeks she spent with her late husband and their children during a crocodile research expedition in 2006.

“After 20 years, grief still walks with me like my shadow,” Terri, 61, wrote, adding that the passage of time had given her “more perspective and understanding.”

“Ours was to be a long and sweet goodbye,” she continued. “Steve spent time with Bindi and Robert building swings and climbing trees. We all slowed down. Time slowed down. I believe that all of us, every one of us, gets to say goodbye.”

“We just may not know that we’re saying it. Hold every moment dear with the ones you love. Until we meet again,” she wrote, punctuating her message with a heart emoji.

Bindi, 28, also marked the anniversary with a video of her father talking about her birth.

“20 years ago today, the world lost the most passionate and dedicated wildlife conservationist,” Bindi wrote. “Our family lost our superhero.”

Bindi, who is now a mother herself, also reflected on the relationship between Steve and her 5-year-old daughter, Grace, who never met her grandfather.

According to Bindi, Grace watches Steve’s documentaries and feels connected to the grandfather she never knew.

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“She feels utterly loved by her ‘grandpa crocodile’ without ever having met him,” she wrote. “My dad left a lasting impact so poignant that it will ripple out for generations to come.”

Robert, 22, shared a photo of himself as a baby sitting on his father’s lap and wrote, “Your legacy is forever.”

In another tribute, he thanked Steve for teaching him to approach wildlife with empathy and passion.

“Thank you, Dad, for showing me and the entire world what it is to truly live,” he captioned the post. “To lead with empathy, to treat every living being how you’d wish to be treated, and to be passionate in everything you do. Your mission and light lives on always.”

Human deaths caused by stingrays are exceedingly rare, with fewer than 20 deaths reported globally since 1945.

“I mean, this is comparable to getting hit by a meteor,” marine biology expert Andy Dehart said during a 2011 presentation at the National Aquarium in Washington, D.C. “It’s extremely rare.”

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At the time of his death, Bindi was 8, and Robert was 2. Terri was 42.

Steve and Terri had married in 1992 and welcomed Bindi in 1998 and Robert in 2003.

Steve rose to global fame with The Crocodile Hunter, a documentary series that followed his wildlife work alongside Terri.

The series, which began in 1996, helped turn his work at Australia Zoo into an international television phenomenon. The final episode premiered on June 18, 2004.

His family has continued that work. Terri, Bindi, and Robert remain involved with Australia Zoo and the family’s conservation efforts. Both children have developed television careers of their own, starring in Crikey! It’s the Irwins from 2018 to 2022.

Steve’s legacy has also been honored outside Australia. In April 2018, he received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with Terri, Bindi and Robert attending the ceremony.

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Pia BelloBeauty & Wellness Intern

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