Crikey! Steve Irwin: 1962 - 2006

"Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin was killed this morning when a stingray struck his heart while filming a documentary in Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Mercifully, he died instantly from this extremely rare attack. His love for culturally-marginalized wildlife and boundless enthusiasm will be sorely missed. Growing up, I always enjoyed watching his programs while traveling (we didn't have extended cable at home) and his expressions ("Crikey," "What a beauty!' etc.) entered our family's lexicon. He was certainly influential in my growing love for the environment and was an inspiration for many others as well. With the fifth anniversary of the 2001-09-11 attacks coming up, his message of solidarity on behalf of the Australian people shortly after the strikes was deeply appreciated.

Of course, deepest condolences should be extended to his loving family and the entire staff of the Australia Zoo and they should be kept in any of our prayers during this difficult time.

CORRECTION: Apparently Irwin did not die instantly from the stingray attack, but had enough time to remove the barb from his chest before ultimately passing on. This was discovered while reviewing the raw documentary film which was recorded yesterday. This has since circulated via the Internet and has stimulated morbid curiosity. Out of respect for the Irwin family, such recordings should not have been distributed unless expressly authorized.