Steve Irwin, the hugely popular Australian television personality and conservationist known as the "Crocodile Hunter," was killed Monday by a stingray while filming off the Great Barrier Reef. He was 44.

Irwin was at Batt Reef, off the remote coast of northeastern Queensland state, shooting a segment for a series called "Ocean's Deadliest" when he swam too close to one of the animals, which have a poisonous barb on their tails, his friend and colleague John Stainton said.

"He came on top of the stingray and the stingray's barb went up and into his chest and put a hole into his heart," said Stainton, who was on board Irwin's boat at the time.

Crew members aboard the boat, Croc One, called emergency services in the nearest city, Cairns, and administered CPR as they rushed the boat to nearby Low Isle to meet a rescue helicopter. Medical staff pronounced Irwin dead when they arrived a short time later, Stainton said.

Irwin was famous for his enthusiasm for wildlife and his catchword "Crikey!" in his television program "Crocodile Hunter." First broadcast in Australia in 1992, the program was picked up by the Discovery network, catapulting Irwin to international celebrity.

He rode his image into a feature film, 2002's "The Crocodile Hunters: Collision Course" and developed the wildlife park that his parents opened, Australia Zoo, into a major tourist attraction.

"The world has lost a great wildlife icon, a passionate conservationist and one of the proudest dads on the planet," Stainton told reporters in Cairns. "He died doing what he loved best and left this world in a happy and peaceful state of mind. He would have said, 'Crocs Rule!'"

Prime Minister John Howard, who hand-picked Irwin to attend a gala barbecue to honor President Bush when he visited in 2003, said he was "shocked and distressed at Steve Irwin's sudden, untimely and freakish death."

"It's a huge loss to Australia," Howard told reporters. "He was a wonderful character. He was a passionate environmentalist. He brought joy and entertainment and excitement to millions of people."

Irwin, who made a trademark of hovering dangerously close to untethered crocodiles and leaping on their backs, spoke in rapid-fire bursts with a thick Australian accent and was almost never seen without his uniform of khaki shorts and shirt and heavy boots.

Wild animal expert Jack Hanna, who frequently appears on TV with his subjects, offered praise for Irwin.

"Steve was one of these guys, we thought of him as invincible," Hanna, director emeritus of the Columbus (Ohio) Zoo and Aquarium, told ABC's "Good Morning America" Monday.

"The guy was incredible. His knowledge was incredible," Hanna said. "Some people that are doing this stuff are actors and that type of thing, but Steve was truly a zoologist, so to speak, a person who knew what he was doing. Yes, he did things a lot of people wouldn't do. I think he knew what he was doing."

Irwin's ebullience was infectious and Australian officials sought him out for photo opportunities and to promote Australia internationally.

His public image was dented, however, in 2004 when he caused an uproar by holding his infant son in one arm while feeding large crocodiles inside a zoo pen. Irwin claimed at the time there was no danger to the child, and authorities declined to charge Irwin with violating safety regulations.

Later that year, he was accused of getting too close to penguins, a seal and humpback whales in Antarctica while making a documentary. Irwin denied any wrongdoing, and an Australian Environment Department investigation recommended no action be taken against him.

Stingrays have a serrated, toxin-loaded barb, or spine, on the top of their tail. The barb, which can be up to 10 inches long, flexes if a ray is frightened. Stings usually occur to people when they step on or swim too close to a ray and can be excruciatingly painful but are rarely fatal, said University o

 

MAN THAT SUX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for posting it as i havent heard anythign here about it. but man that bites. We were suposed to go there this next summer to see the zoo and other places there.

won't be the same with out him .

 

Yeah...I read this last night.

I was puzzled when they saud that a stingray caused it, though. In Grand Cayman, we have a "Stingray City" (it's a sandbar out in the ocean) where tourists can go and swim and play with schools of stingrays of various sizes. They are very docile. You can hold them and pick them up. The only danger there is when you jump into the water on top of them and **** them off. Other stingrays are not like that and should not be messed with. Especially spotted eaglerays. They are mean little suckers.

Knowing how Steve Irwin is, I can see how his need to get in the animal's face would lead to him getting slashed across his chest. I have never heard of death by sting ray and I have witnessed and heard of many incidents. This must have a very severe attack.

R.I.P Crocodile Hunter.

 

I was actually in Beerwah for a little bit and I was going to try to track him down and say what's up but I never got around to it, now I'm kicking myself in the *** because that was my only opportunity. Hey, at least he went the way he would have wanted to, with the wildlife that he loved.

Steve, from all of God's creatures, thank you. R.I.P.

 

amen could not have said that better.

you know he enjoyed his life. Just feel for Terrie and the kids.
shame they have to grow up with only the memories. but there was a reason for this just don't know what.

 

At least he passed away doing what he loved to do.

 

i can imaginr his last words thoug CRICKEY DID YA SEE THA STINGER ON THAT FELLO

 

LOL..........


I hear this morning that the whole incident was caught on tape....

 

yeah if you go to discovery channels web site they have some info on this also. they said it was cought on tape.

when it happend he pulled the stinger out and then went to the surface.
all i could think of is the stinger being in him is most likely what was allowing his body to stay alive as it was plugging the hole.
when he pulled it out it tore it up more and most likely killed him. he may have had a chance but only god knows .

they are doign a special on TV tonight i guess but of course we wont see it here thanks to AFN programming we dont get things like this offten and they havent even mentioned it here yet.