'SUPERHERO'

‘Crocodile Hunter’ Steve Irwin’s Family Shares Heartbreaking Message

The beloved conservationist and TV personality died after being pierced in the chest by a stingray.

Conservationist Terri Irwin is marking 35 years since the chance encounter that changed her life with an emotional tribute to her late husband, Steve Irwin.

On Tuesday, Terri shared a throwback photo on Instagram of the Crocodile Hunter proudly holding up a black snake as she watched beside him.

“It was 35 years ago today that I met the most incredible man at a tiny roadside wildlife park in Queensland Australia,” she wrote. “This chance meeting would change my life forever.”

Terri continued, “I always felt that Steve and I were more than soulmates. Our life’s purpose was even bigger. I am truly blessed to live a life so full of love, family, and adventure.💕”

The couple met on Oct. 6, 1991, just two days after Steve took over management of the wildlife park his parents founded, then known as the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park, according to Australia Zoo.

Terri, who was visiting Australia from the U.S., stopped at the park and met Steve during a wildlife demonstration. The pair married the following year.

Their daughter, Bindi Irwin, 28, also commemorated the milestone Tuesday with a photo of her parents.

“35 years ago, today, my parents met,” she wrote. “They began the most beautiful love story together, which continues to transcend life and loss. ❤️”

Terri responded in the comments, writing, “So blessed to have a chance meeting begin a lifetime of love. Every day I am thankful for the family we grew together. You and Robert light up my world.💕”

Robert Irwin, 22, also shared his mother’s tribute to his Instagram Stories and called his parents “My absolute heroes in life.”

Steve and Terri welcomed Bindi in 1998 and Robert in 2003 before Steve’s sudden death on Sept. 4, 2006.

The 44-year-old wildlife conservationist was pierced through the chest by a short-tail stingray while filming a documentary at Batt Reef, off the coast of Queensland. He went into cardiac arrest and died.

Terri has never remarried and told People in 2018 that she had not been on a date since Steve’s death.

“But I’m content. I have two beautiful kids, a really full plate,” she said. “I’ve already had my happily ever after.”

The latest family tribute comes just over a month after the Irwins marked 20 years since Steve’s death.

In September, Terri reflected on the final weeks the family spent together during a crocodile research expedition in 2006.

“After 20 years, grief still walks with me like my shadow,” she wrote, adding that time had brought “more perspective and understanding.”

“Ours was to be a long and sweet goodbye,” Terri continued. “Steve spent time with Bindi and Robert building swings and climbing trees. We all slowed down. Time slowed down.”

She ended the message with a reminder to “hold every moment dear with the ones you love.”

Bindi called her father the family’s “superhero,” while Robert thanked Steve for teaching him to approach wildlife with empathy and passion.

“Thank you, Dad, for showing me and the entire world what it is to truly live,” Robert wrote. “Your mission and light lives on always.”

Steve rose to worldwide fame through The Crocodile Hunter, which followed his wildlife work with Terri and helped turn Australia Zoo into an international attraction.

His family has continued that mission in the decades since his death, remaining closely involved with the zoo and conservation efforts.

Bindi and Robert also followed their parents onto television, starring with Terri in Crikey! It’s the Irwins from 2018 to 2022. That same year the series debuted, Steve received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

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Tamilore OshikanluContributor

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