20 years after Steve Irwin's tragic death, his children honor his legacy
It has been 20 years since the death of famed naturalist Steve Irwin, and his daughter Bindi and son Robert have shared moving tributes to their father on social media. The family continues his work at Australia Zoo.
September 4 marks 20 years since Australian naturalist and television personality Steve Irwin died tragically while filming an underwater documentary at the Great Barrier Reef. A stingray barb pierced his chest, proving fatal for the 44-year-old. Irwin was known worldwide as the "Crocodile Hunter," the name of his popular documentary series that aired from 1996 to 2007 and became Discovery Channel's second-longest-running program.
Tributes from his daughter and son
When her father died, Irwin's daughter Bindi was just eight years old. Now 28, Bindi has followed in her father's footsteps as a conservationist and marked the anniversary with an emotional social media tribute. She wrote that she had long believed her father's greatest legacy was wildlife conservation, but realized it was actually love — for the planet and for one another. Bindi also described how the loss affected her mother, Terri, and her younger brother Robert, now 22.
Robert Irwin, who was only two when his father died, also posted a tribute on Instagram, saying his father's legacy would last forever. Robert has adopted his father's signature style of khaki T-shirt, shorts and boots.
A lasting legacy
Steve Irwin ran Australia Zoo in Queensland together with his wife Terri, and the zoo is also his final resting place. Several animal species, streets, parks and even an asteroid have been named after him, and every November 15 the zoo celebrates Steve Irwin Day. In 2018 he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His family continues his conservation work and the running of the zoo.
