I got to know him though his wildlife docudramas co-hosted with his wife Terri Irwin. and his program on Animal Planet "The Crocodile Hunter". Steve Irwin took over where french explorer and ecologist and wildlife and nature expert Jacques-Yves Cousteau left off. Its so sad Steve Irwin passed away so young he contributed so much to society world wide and society will be so much better off for it. I have so much admiration and respect for him.

Born:22 February 1962 Essendon, Victoria, Australia Died:4 September 2006 near Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia Occupation:Naturalist, television personality Spouse:Terri Irwin Website:CrocodileHunter.com Children:2 (Bindi Sue and Robert Clarence)

In 2001 Irwin was awarded the Centenary Medal for his "service to global conservation and to Australian tourism". In 2004 he was recognised as Tourism Export of the Year. He was also nominated in 2004 for Australian of the Year; an honour which was won by Steve Waugh. Doubts were cast over his nomination when the "baby Bob" incident occurred in January of that year.

In 1992, Irwin married Terri Raines from Eugene, Oregon, United States. The pair had met a few months earlier when Raines had visited the zoo on a holiday. Together they had two children: a daughter, Bindi Sue Irwin (born 24 July 1998), and a son, Robert Clarence "Bob" Irwin (born 1 December 2003). Bindi Sue is jointly named after two of Steve Irwin's favourite animals: Bindi, a saltwater crocodile, and Sui, a dog who died in June 2004.

Irwin was as enthusiastic about his family as he was about his work. He once described his daughter Bindi as "the reason he was put on the Earth". His wife once said, "The only thing that could ever keep him away from the animals he loves are the people he loves even more."