Steve Irwin's Death: Looking Back at the Shocking Stingray Attack That Killed the Crocodile Hunter 18 Years Ago

Mar. 15, 2025

Steve Irwin on The Ghan Railway on June 19, 2003.Photo:James D Morgan/Shutterstock

James D Morgan/Shutterstock

Steve Irwinmay have died nearly two decades ago but his legacy continues to live on through his family.

In the wake of his death, Irwin left behind his wifeTerrias well as their two young children —BindiandRobert. While his death may have come as a shock to the world, Terri later shared that her husband always believed he would die young.

“He wasn’t morbid about it, or awful about it, he was open and earnest about it. We’ve got to accomplish everything we can,” she told Australian Broadcasting Corp. television’sEnough Ropeseries, perReuters.

She continued, “Steve had a real sixth sense about so many things. He had an odd connection with wildlife. He was extraordinarily intuitive with people. I found it all very, I don’t know if ‘eerie’ is the word, but remarkable, certainly.”

“We have to create as much positive change as we can for our environment and for our fellow humans as well. And just to treat one with kindness, and I think he exemplified that perfectly,” Robert told E! News in 2022. “I’ll always just feel so lucky that I had the most amazing dad in the world,who was literally a superhero.”

So what happened to Steve Irwin? Here are all the details of his sudden death and the legacy he left behind.

How did Steve Irwin die?

Steve Irwin on ‘The Tonight Show with Jay Leno’ on April 9, 1998.Margaret Norton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty

Margaret Norton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal/Getty

While snorkeling in shallow waters alongside a massive stingray, the typically calm sea creature suddenly attacked and “started stabbing wildly with its tail.” Irwin’s cameraman Justin Lyons explained that during the unprovoked attack, the stingray “propped on its front” and made “hundreds of strikes in a few seconds.”

“It probably thought that Steve’s shadow was a tiger shark, which feeds on them very regularly. I panned with the camera as the stingray swam away, I didn’t even know it had caused any damage. It wasn’t until I panned the camera back, that Steve was standing in a huge pool of blood, that I realized something had gone wrong,” Lyons shared on Australian morning showStudio 10in 2014.

Lyons said the “jagged, sharp barb” created a two-inch-wide injury over Irwin’s chest, having punctured his heart and lungs. Despite reports that the stingray barb had been stuck in Irwin’s chest and he had pulled it out, Lyons said the rumors are untrue.

“We worked hard for several hours to try and resuscitate him, but the wound was too grievous into his heart from the stingray barb,” Cousteau toldWUFT. “Steve was a great guy, and he died doing what he loved.”

When did Steve Irwin die?

Irwin died on Sept. 4, 2006.

Where did Steve Irwin die?

How old was Steve Irwin when he died?

Steve Irwin, poses with a three foot long alligator at the San Francisco Zoo on June 26, 2002.Justin Sullivan/Getty

Justin Sullivan/Getty

Irwin was just 44 years old at the time of his death.

What were Steve Irwin’s last words?

Steve Irwin with his wife and two children.Newspix/Getty

Newspix/Getty

Just minutes before the fatal stingray attack, Irwin and Lyons were planning out their next shot to film. They had decided that they would get one last piece of footage with the sea creature, filming as he swam away from the pair.

Unfortunately, things took a turn and Lyons instead captured some of Irwin’s final moments on camera. While rumors have long circulated about the tragic footage, Irwin’s wife Terri shared that all the tapes were destroyed.

When Irwin was pulled onto the boat shortly after the attack, Lyons said he was still conscious but in excruciating pain due to the stingray’s intense venom. In his final moments, Lyons and the crew encouraged Irwin to keep fighting but he was unfortunately aware of the severity of the attack.

“We’re saying to him things like, ‘Think of your kids, Steve, hang on, hang on, hang on,’ ” Lyons recalled onStudio 10. “And he just sort of calmly looked up at me and said, ‘I’m dying,’ and that was the last thing he said.”

How did the public react to Steve Irwin’s death?

Bindi Irwin, Terri Irwin and Robert Irwin attend “Steve Irwin Memorial Day” at Australia Zoo on November 15, 2007.Marc Grimwade/WireImage

Marc Grimwade/WireImage

What legacy did Steve Irwin leave behind?

Chelsea Lauren/Variety/REX/Shutterstock

“I think what dad really showed the world was, of course, to have that appreciation for the natural world and to treat every living being on this planet as you would wish to be treated. I think that’s something that I’ll always carry with me,” Robert shared with E! News.

He continued, “I think that more than anything, I would hope that I really continue this message that life is short and we have to live every day to the fullest.”

Irwin’s family has also shared Irwin’s message through television, with several special episodes ofThe Crocodile Hunterairing in the wake of his death. That includesOcean’s Deadliest, the documentary he was filming at the time of the stingray attack, as well as a tribute episode entitledCrikey! What an Adventure: An Intimate Look at the Life of Steve Irwin. In the years that followed, Bindi starred in her own show,Bindi the Jungle Girl, and more recently, the entire family has shared their lives at the Australia Zoo onCrikey! It’s the Irwins.

Since his death, Irwin has received numerous posthumous honors. Steve Irwin Day iscelebrated on Nov. 15 every year, honoring Irwin’s legacy with special tributes around Australia and at the Australia Zoo. He was later inducted into the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame and in 2015, he received a Queensland Greats Award. Then in 2017, he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

In addition to his awards, Irwin has also been honored in the animal kingdom. In 2009, a rare species of tree snail was named “Crikey steveirwini” after the late wildlife conservationist.

“Steve worked tirelessly to promote conservation, wildlife and the environment and his work enabled the plight of endangered species to reach a whole new audience,” Terri shared withthe Australian Broadcasting Corp.“Steve also had a long history of collaborating with staff at the Queensland Museum and I’m sure he would be pleased to know his name is continuing to highlight a rare and endangered Queensland species.”

source: people.com