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It’s been over 11 years since the world lost its beloved Crocodile Hunter. Steve Irwin was 44 years old when he died after being pierced in the chest by a stingray barb while filming an underwater documentary. The world famous animal conservationist and television personality was such a global influence, the dude owns a damn day of the character.
November 15th is Steve Irwin Day, an annual international event honoring the life and legacy of the environmental savage himself.
Irvin once said that his now 19-year-old daughter Bindi (named after a saltwater crocodile) was “the reason he was put on Earth.” Irwin passed when she was 8. To honor her late father on his day, Bindi posted a nice little message on her social media accounts.
It pleases me to learn that Irwin wasn’t just this super charismatic nice guy on camera but a fraud in real life, like most celebrities are. He was as enthusiastic about his family as he was about his work.
Irwin’s widow, Terri, who met her husband while visiting an Australian zoo described Irwin on her first impression as an “environmental Tarzan, a larger-than-life superhero guy.” Terri praised Steve as the ultimate family man, a loving husband, and great father–“The only thing that could ever keep him away from the animals he loves are the people he loves even more.”
Please enjoy the laugh-out-loud ESPN commercial Irwin stole the show in.