Steve Irwin, the quirky Australian naturalist who won world-wide acclaim as TV's khaki-clad "Crocodile Hunter", was killed by a stingray barb through the heart while filming a new documentary on Monday.
Irwin, 44, tangled with some of the world's most dangerous animals but he died in an extremely rare attack by a normally placid sea creature while he was diving on a reef off Port Douglas in northern Queensland.
"He came over the top of a stingray and the stingray's barb went up and went into his chest and put a hole into his heart," Irwin's shocked manager John Stainton told reporters in Cairns, south of Port Douglas. A helicopter rushed paramedics to nearby Low Isles where Irwin was taken for treatment, but he was dead before they arrived, emergency officials said.
Irwin's death was likely only the third recorded fatal stingray attack in Australia, experts said. They said stingray venom was agonisingly painful but not lethal, although the barb was capable of causing horrific injuries like a knife or bayonet.
Known around the world for his catchphrase "Crikey" during close encounters with wild animals, Irwin made almost 50 documentaries which appeared on the cable TV channel Animal Planet. He became a virtual global industry generating books, interactive games and even toy action figures.
Irwin was described as "a modern-day Noah" and his death shocked world leaders, fellow naturalists and humble Australians who said he was "a bloody good bloke".
"I really do feel Australia has lost a wonderful and colourful son. He brought immense joy to millions of people, particularly to children, and it's just such a terrible loss," emotional Australian Prime Minister John Howard told reporters.
Born on February 22, 1962, in the southern Australian city of Melbourne, Irwin moved to tropical Queensland where his parents ran a small reptile and fauna park.
He grew up near crocodiles, trapping and removing them from populated areas and releasing them in his parent's park. He took over the park in 1991 and renamed it the "Australia Zoo". Irwin became famous for his seemingly death-defying skill with wild animals, including crocodiles and snakes.
He met his US-born wife Terri at the zoo and the footage of their honeymoon - which they spent trapping crocodiles - formed the basis of his first "Crocodile Hunter" documentary.
Later shows had a world-wide audience of 200 million, or 10 times the population of Australia. They had two children, Bindi Sue and Robert Clarence. Irwin triggered outrage in 2004 by holding his then one-month-old son while feeding a snapping crocodile at his zoo. He was also criticised for allegedly disturbing whales, seals and penguins while filming in Antarctica.
Irwin boasted that he had never been bitten by a venomous snake or seriously bitten by a crocodile, although admitted his worst injuries had been inflicted by parrots.