Steve "Croc Hunter" Irwin is Dead!

[greggh]

killed by a stingray

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200609/s1732439.htm

[tht00]

Oh... that sucks.

[bobbybobington]

:cry: Thats too bad,I really kinda liked his shows, he was crazy in a very entertaining way.I'm sure he did alot to help people understand wildlife.... at least he wasn't afraid to live his life and do some good before he died.:-)

[Boomy]

I almost can't believe he's dead. I always thought he was a cool guy. He came across as a little strange to alot of people, but I always admired his enthusiasm, and the work he did educating people and advocating conservation. He lived doing what he truly loved. RIP man...

[zugu]

Unfortunately, as far fetched this news is, it's true. If you're from Australia, you've already seen it on TV. It has also made it to the BBC News frontapge, and it's spreading by the minute.

I just wanted to say this: I've never been a fan of the entertainment Mr. Irwin promoted, but I will surely miss him. His power and energy were contagious.

For the ones who didn't hear the news yet, here's a link:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5311298.stm

You can find more articles on Google News and why not, your local TV station.

RIP and my condoleances to his family.

[pufuwozu]

It's very sad. I've seen him atleast 3 times in person, he's amazing. The worst part is that Terri (his wife) didn't hear about it until hours after the rest of the world did. She was in a remote area in Tasmania and was eventually told by a police officer after the media had already picked up on it.

[Garyu]

wow, what a shame. there has been so many rumours circulating about this on the net millions of times before, so I didn't believe it at first, but now it's on the cover of all the newspapers... this is a guy that can never be replaced, but he sure was annoying. :-#

[Kabal]

R.I.P Steve

[pufuwozu]

Yes, no more crocodile hunter on TV! :D
But seriously, I won't miss a TV character. RIP and all that, but I couldn't care less.

That's extremely insulting. He was much more than a TV character. He was a real person. He put on a show now and then to educate the public about what he believed in but that's what needed to happen. He was actively changing many things around the world and still is.

Steve Irwin is a hero, not a TV character.

[]TheNose[]

Crikey!!:(

[slimdog360]

thats sucks

[aktiwers]

Rest in peace! I ******* loved that guy..

[3rdalbum]

Crikey!

[Stew2]

He will be missed. His energy and enthusiasm were unmatched. Rest in peace Steve. My condolances go out to his family and friends.

[snapcase16]

I really thought this was a hoax at first because similar stories have been reported in the past about him. That really does suck, but at least he's one of the few to go out doing what he loves.

[adam.tropics]

Apparrently it happened just up the road from here at Port Douglas...Very sad, great character.

[frup]

IMO its surprising it was a sting ray too. i always thought it would be something more predatory to get him.

[Kvark]

I always wondered how long he would survive playing with dangerous animals. Something unexpected and lethal was bound to happen sooner or later. Someone like the Crocodile Hunter has to die with his boots on.

[Demio]

**** happens :|

Poor guy, at least he died doing what he loved the most...

[kostkon]

Very unfortunate, and a very rare death. R.I.P Mr Irwin. :cry:

[insane_alien]

i knew this day would come eventually. i mean you don't **** off deadly animals without getting killed at least once bu i hoped it would have been a much more fitting death, say being devoured whole by a large snake or crocodile.

RIP steve.

[arkangel]

that sucks

rest in peace :(

[argie]

Wow, somehow he just seemed invincible, way he escapes all that. Real hard to believe but it's on BBC.

Rest in peace, sir.

[Mr Egg]

Yeh, it was a sad event. R.I.P. Steve Irwin. I'm Australian so its close news for me.

[hoagie]

I used to watch his show on animal planet, well that's sad. Rest in peace

[mips]

I always wondered how long he would survive playing with dangerous animals. Something unexpected and lethal was bound to happen sooner or later. Someone like the Crocodile Hunter has to die with his boots on.

It's very rare for a stingray to be lethal, he was just unlucky.

I won't miss him one bit though, irritated me. Feel sorry for his family though.

[roderikk]

Hopefully there will be plenty of new critters welcoming him wherever he is now. RIP.

[freddy metz]

He wasnt killed by the stingrays sting itself, but one of his heart chambers was punctured.
I loved that guy. At least he died doing what he loved, im sure he wont be forgotten anytime soon.

[Dinerty]

This is quite upsetting, me and my parents use to watch him alot on tv and found him a real vibrant character, really quite shocking news

[mostwanted]

This is unreal!

Rest in peace. Amazing how this is all over the Internet, he was a lot more famous than I thought

[zubrug]

Thanks for the entertainment steve, all the best to your family and friends.
:(

[ounas]

Rest in Peace, the great Croc Hunter

-Ounas

[K.Mandla]

At least he's one of the few to go out doing what he loves.
Amen to that. No doubt he was happier doing what he loved.

[gnomeuser]

I declare a War on Stingrays.. so that we may never again lose a hero like Steve no matter how foolhearted.

[bobbybobington]

No thats not what he would have wanted. He worked tirelessly to educate people about wildlife, and declaring war on stingrays would be against everything he worked for. I hope people who watched his show learned to respect wildlife.

[confused57]

My condolences go out to his friends & family, especially his wife and children...he will be missed. I thoroughly enjoyed his "Crocodile Hunter" series, think I've seen them all...really hoped to get to Australia to meet him one day...Rest In Peace Steve

[Kernel Sanders]

Most pointless death i've ever seen. Stingrays only strike out in defence, and even then its a rare occurance, and its even rarer to get killed by one.

He must have been VERY close.

There's entertainment, and there's taking pointless idiotic risks.

Its his family I really feel sorry for.

[mips]

I declare a War on Stingrays.. so that we may never again lose a hero like Steve no matter how foolhearted.

:rolleyes: Yeah right, blame the stingray...

How is he a hero, he is/was a tv personality ?

[gnomeuser]

You people don't do humour very well do you?

[plb]

:rolleyes: Yeah right, blame the stingray...

How is he a hero, he is/was a tv personality ?

He was more than just a T.V. personality. Sure he had a show and what not but what you saw was what you got with Steve. He was passionate about all things dealing with protecting the environment and animals. He purchased huge lots of land just so the animals that inhabited the land there weren't forced off by development. He also invested over $16 million into the zoo. You will be missed Steve.

[mips]

That still does not make him a hero. And as for blaming the stingray that is just ridiculous.

Edit: Only saw the humour response now as I open a lot of threads in tabs and by the time I get to them they are not so up to date.

[plb]

That still does not make him a hero. And as for blaming the stingray that is just ridiculous.

Edit: Only saw the humour response now as I open a lot of threads in tabs and by the time I get to them they are not so up to date.

To some it makes him a hero, how many people do you know that would spend vast amounts of money to save an animals habitat? Hell, most governments won't even do that.

[Garyu]

to all speculants in what daring trick Steve tried to deserve death - he wasn't stupid at all.

according to eye witnesses he was swimming over the ocean floor when a sleeping (or hiding or what it is they do) stingray got startled as he swam above it. the stinger pierced his chest right next to his heart and injected enough venom to cause a heartattack.

it was nothing but extreme bad luck. steve is only the third person ever in australia to get killed by a stingray and most people who get stung do so when they step on one.

[mips]

to all speculants in what daring trick Steve tried to deserve death - he wasn't stupid at all.

according to eye witnesses he was swimming over the ocean floor when a sleeping (or hiding or what it is they do) stingray got startled as he swam above it. the stinger pierced his chest right next to his heart and injected enough venom to cause a heartattack.

it was nothing but extreme bad luck. steve is only the third person ever in australia to get killed by a stingray and most people who get stung do so when they step on one.

No, he was swimming with/above the stingray, it was'nt hiding in the sand. The camera man was in front of the stingray and Steve above it, probably felt trapped.


He was not killed by the venom, the stingrays barb actually punctured his heart. The venom is not fatal but painfull.

""He came over the top of a stingray and a barb, the stingray's barb went up and put a hole into his heart," Mr Irwin's manager John Stainton told the BBC."

[Reshin]

Is this what they call "irony"? Guy wrestled alligators and took bites from spider and snakes just for the heck of it and now this...

[Polygon]

well if you have ever seen the barbs off a sting ray (someone showed me one of them once) they are REALLY sharp, and it looks very similiar to the bars on like a circular saw or something. If that went through anyones heart, they would most likely be dead.

[Biltong (Dee)]

Who?

Up until today I had never heard of the man.

Betya I'm not alone.

Sad tho, cos from what I have read he did a lot for the animals.

On the other hand, if asked, I'm sure he would have preferred an action death to that of gently expiring of old age in some forgotten home somewhere...

[MiKuS]

i don't know...correct me if im wrong, but i was under the impression people usually DON'T like to die..

steve irwin was one of the best things to ever happen to australia for the (short) time he was alive. It's sad to see him go like this

[Iandefor]

It's a mighty sad thing. He was the only TV personality for which I had any respect. He was a good man and well-loved by many.

I'll miss you, Steve.

[Wight_Rhino]

Regardless of how he died, I feel for his family, but we've all seen the risks he took. It was part of his success to be holding the most poisonous snake by the tail and dodge it's strike, to be taunting crocs only to jump back as it lunged.

Who here is truly shocked?

Unfortunately for his family it was just a matter of time.

[Iandefor]

Who here is truly shocked? In regards to him succumbing to his own risky practices? I'm not. I always figured it was going to be his demise. In regards to the circumstances under which it happened? Hell yes, I'm shocked. There have been fewer than 20 stingray-induced deaths worldwide over the past decade. That Steve should succumb to one is incredibly unlikely.

[greggh]

I hope this isn't too soon for some here. I mean it as a celebration of the zanyness and enthusiasm of the man...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBwRE4bo30o

[plb]

I always had this thing in the back of my head that eventually nature would get the best of him but like the previous poster not by a stingray. Over the past 68 years in Australia he is the 3rd case in recorded history of someone to die by a stingray. Kind of ironic in a way....one of the more passive animals he's probably dealt with got the best of him. Anyway, I'll miss ya Steve.

[hanzomon4]

This is a little off topic but.. I'm glad to see this tread is staying civil.
By chance I found a thread yesterday dealing with the death of another celebrity, and the remarks by some of the people where shocking, insensitive, and down right cold hearted.
Being that you don't see deaths posted that much, I found it ironic that I would read two less the 24hrs apart and with such polar opposite behavior.

[Anduu]

Yep...Sad,sad day :(

[mustang]

So sad :(

He will truly be missed. Hopefully his legacy will spawn a renewed interest in animal conservation and preservation.

[Catewilliams]

I never watched any of his shows, but I was aware what he did for a living and what he was known for.

RIP, Steve. Though, it really is an intresting way to die. Not saying it's good, because it isn't, but I guess he lived for Nature, and it ended up getting the best of him.

[KiwiNZ]

I have merged the two Steve Irwin threads

[Overrandom]

Always thought this guy was invincible.

R.I.P. Steve Irwin...

http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200401/r14036_34134.jpg

[PenguinMan]

I was absolutely shocked when my wife told me the news yesterday. :( R.I.P. Steve and God bless your family.

[gnomeuser]

Regardless of how he died, I feel for his family, but we've all seen the risks he took. It was part of his success to be holding the most poisonous snake by the tail and dodge it's strike, to be taunting crocs only to jump back as it lunged.

Who here is truly shocked?

Unfortunately for his family it was just a matter of time.

Steve always knew what he did and was in excellent shape given his age. I'm definitely shocked that he did in such a sense less accident. This by the way makes him only the second person to die from a stingray attack since 1945 so it's just freaky, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He made his living doing dangerous stuff but that doesn't change the fact that he worked with dangerous wildlife all his life and he absolutely knew what he was doing and he never put himself in more risk that that he needed, regardless of what it might look like on TV.

[turntabletux]

Yeah, I didn't want to believe it. Kind of gets to me because he was so crazy. If I ever got bored I would turn to animal planet late at night sometimes. He's got a daughter turning 3 I heard. I think that it was a way he'd want to go sort of speak, doing what he loves. :[

Ant

[matthew]

How sad! He always reminded me of one of my best friends that I went to college with, a guy who moved across the country from me, and then I moved across the ocean from...same basic personality; always 100% on, everything was extremely good or bad, wonderful and amazing or tragic, and the sort of person that either annoyed people or got them very interested in whatever he was interested in. Steve Irwin was a truly charismatic person. I'll miss seeing him on TV. My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife and family.

[!nkubus]

May you rest in peace Mr Irwin :(. This is a sad news :(

[bfakefree]

Very sad, very depressing, I remember the one time he did a programme going to the South Pole, when he got out the plane he was till in his shorts and short sleeved shirt as if he was still in the outback, one of a kind:(

[gnomeuser]

Very sad, very depressing, I remember the one time he did a programme going to the South Pole, when he got out the plane he was till in his shorts and short sleeved shirt as if he was still in the outback, one of a kind:(

For him that seems more foolhearted than his regular stunts. But it was his trademark clothing after all.

The lastest news seems to be that his family was offered a state funeral but they declined as he never saw himself as an important spokesman for Australia, but wildlife as a whole. Never the less I think the offer was a fine move Steve, if anyone Australia is famous for, is one we should all learn from, his respect for all things living seemed positively limitless.

I think we all have our favorite Steve moments, he did so much to capture mankinds attention to his cause, even if that meant getting hurt every once in a while. I think my personal favorite was the show where he went swimming with the deadly water snakes.. he was basically making out with them to show that they were harmless. That just showed me exactly how sure he had to be of what he was doing, you really have to know and love animals to know what is safe and what is insane.. Steve despite what it might look like to the rest of us had a great understanding of where the line was.

[fuscia]

some nice cartoon tributes...

http://cagle.com/news/SteveIrwin/

[gnomeuser]

some nice cartoon tributes...

http://cagle.com/news/SteveIrwin/

Those are hilarious.. what a great tribute to Steve

[fuscia]

Those are hilarious.. what a great tribute to Steve

the girl hugging her stuffed croc got to me good.

[matthew]

the girl hugging her stuffed croc got to me good.Me too. Thanks for the link...nice tribute by a bunch of good editorial cartoonists.

[confused57]

some nice cartoon tributes...

http://cagle.com/news/SteveIrwin/

Nice tribute...brought a tear to my eye.

[NoTiG]

heres a tribute that brought a tear to my eye

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3685687186308273023