Steve Irwin (Croc Hunter) dies.

[Cedric]

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20349888-2,00.html



Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin dead

By staff writers

September 04, 2006 02:14pm
Article from: NEWS.com.au

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THE Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, is dead.

He was killed in a freak accident in Cairns, police sources said.

It is understood he was killed by a stingray barb that went through his chest.

He was swimming off the Low Isles at Port Douglas filming an underwater documentary when the tragedy occured.

Ambulance officers confirmed they attended a reef fatality this morning at Batt Reef off Port Douglas.

Irwin's body is being flown to Cairns.

It is believed Mr Irwin's American-born wife Terri is trekking on Cradle Mountain in Tasmania and is yet to be told of her husband's death.

Mr Irwin - known worldwide as the Crocodile Hunter - is famous for his enthusiasm for wildlife and his catchcry "Crikey!".

The father of two's Crocodile Hunter program was first broadcast in 1992 and has been shown around the world on cable network Discovery.

He has also starred in movies and has developed the Australia Zoo wildlife park, north of Brisbane, which was started by his parents Bob and Lyn Irwin.



A Tourism Queensland spokeswoman today said the death was shocking and paid tribute to Irwin's "enormous contribution" to his adopted state.

Louise Yates said it was impossible to quantify how much Mr Irwin had meant to the Queensland tourism industry.

"I don't think we could even estimate how much he brought us through his personality and his profile and his enthusiasm about Queensland," she said.

"It would be difficult to estimate how much he was worth. And it would be difficult to underestimate."

She said Mr Irwin had been a larger-than-life ambassador.

"It's not just what he brought but what he took with him when he travelled, his passion."

Australia Zoo, on southeast Queensland's Sunshine Coast, employs more than 500 people and attracts thousands of visitors every day.

But Ms Yates said it would be "unfair and unjust" to put a dollar value on Irwin's worth to the state, because of how much he had given.

[paintmered]

That's really unfortunate. Condolences to his family.

But given his nature of work and the number of close calls he's encountered over the years, it was a matter of time really. Walking the fine line for so long made him a household name. I certainly enjoyed watching him.

One of my classmates in high school traveled to Australia to spend some time with his show. From her accounts, he was a great guy and a real expert.

[HumnHilghtFreel]

I was just about to post this here.

It's sad. He was a really eccentric guy, but he was really great at heart whenever I saw him on talk shows like Leno and all that.

[CrackerJack]

Wow. That's quite sad.

[WMR]

Holy crap!!!

[harangatang]

That's pretty sudden. What a tragedy.

[howyoufreelin]

What do bad things happen to such good people...This is really really sad. I really enjoyed him as a entertainer, and he seemed like he was a very good guy.

[GAC]

What do bad things happen to such good people...

Because, sadly enough, as adventure (or thrill) seekers, they take high level risks. And yes, it is very sad.

[max venable]

Here's to you, Steve.

[Spring~Fields]

Very, very sad, the man took everything to new levels to inform and entertain us all. I was often worried that he and others might push the envelope to far one day to bring us thrills and excitement, sadly it has happened.

[MrCinatit]

It can be said he went doing what he loved the most - being at one with nature. Still, that does not diminish the tragedy.

[bucksfan]

Wow - very sad news. I had not watche dthe show in some time, but we did watch quite a bit several years ago. As others above have said, he just seemed like a great guy.

[Ltlabner]

I really didn't care for his show or style. But that doesn't mean squat right now. It's a horrible thing that happend. Always hate to see an innocent life come to a premature end.

Sorry for the Irwin family's loss.

[BuckWoody]

I was shockled when I read that this morning. Very sad news. My girls were upset when they heard about it...they are big into Animal Planet and really liked Steve. Rest in peace.

[adampad]

So sad. I loved watching Steve with my 4 year old daughter. He had so much energy and passion for what he did. He will be missed.