Water on the Great Barrier Reef.

The 44-year-old TV personality may have died instantly when struck by the stingray while filming a sequence for his eight-year-old daughter Bindi's new TV series, friends believe.

"You think about all the documentaries we've made and all the dangerous situations that we have been in, you always think `is this it, is this a day that maybe his demise?'," said his friend and manager John Stainton.

"(But) nothing would ever scare Steve or would worry him. He didn't have a fear of death at all."

Mr Irwin made his international reputation wrestling crocodiles and snakes.

But the flamboyant naturalist's final confrontation with a wild animal occurred at Batt Reef off Port Douglas on Monday morning, where he had been filming a new documentary, "Ocean's Deadliest".

Taking time off from the main project, Mr Irwin was swimming in shallow water, snorkelling as his cameraman filmed large bull rays.

"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," said Mr Irwin's friend and manager John Stainton.

"It's likely that he possibly died instantly when the barb hit him, and I don't think that he ... felt any pain.

"He died doing what he loved best."

It is sad and I feel for his family.

Personally, I didn't like Mr. Irwin's TV shows. I felt his flippant way of dealing with Crocodiles was dangerous for the average person to see. He was an expert, but the chances he took might lead others to take chances that might be harmful to themselves. And I was disgusted when he had his daughter around the reptiles in what I considered to be less than normal fatherly situations.

Thank you T-O-M, you are a gentleman.

well I hope that will teach you!! now if i can find a way to punish my dh into fixing meals I will be a genious. he only fixes cheese toast, popcorn, order pizza, and sometime items on the grill!!

T h i n k i n g how to punish meals to him..... Ultimately if would be me punished however after 9/14 he will be punished as im on liquids and there will be no meal prep until i can partake!!:heh:

gonnabethin- I am way confused-what post are you answering?

I enjoyed his shows and his love for the wild life. I agree his actions were not the best involing his child...but can any of us say if the camera followed us that we won't be caught for a brief moment that others would be willing to attack us for.

TOM might try any other station but CNN if you want a good sleep....lol JK Love the news station myself. I work midnights and the TV in my office only gets CNN or the weather channel. Since I can look out the window its always on CNN

I will miss him, too. Whenever I watched a show, I couldn't help saying, "He's cazy!" And I loved him. Peace with his family.

I will miss the Croc Hunter. I thought he was crazy too, but good crazy. He had what looked like a fun and exciting life and a beautiful family. He was a good educator. What a loss for us. My kids enjoyed him. My 11 year old said "now we will only have re-runs" 'Tis true, 'tis pity.

I want to apologize to anyone who might think I meant anything other than what I actually meant.

By ............ and I had to make my own breakfast as punishment.

At the end of tired old mans he was unjustly punished!

Thanks-I missed that part! I am a little frazzled tonight, its easy to confuse me-BTW I love your email name!!!

brooklyn,

very immature for you to pass judgements on these people when you decided to jump on in and attack! nobody invited you here and i've only just read all the threads and was attracted to the title of steve irwin, not the argumentative stuff, so don't say that all fat people are mean... that is just pathetic!

anyway the rest of you guys, steves passing is a tragedy. i myself am from australia and heard the news yesterday here. my hubby and i woke today and feel likewe've lost a family member. i just feel sad because if anyone in this world had to be an example of living life and being a human who was funny, lovable, caring and passionate he was it. unfortunaley as i told my 10yo on the way to school, sometimes you don't fully appreciate things until they are gone. a very sad time indeed. mel from australia.

It's been bugging me all day that earlier I made the spelling faux paus stating, "crock's rule"....indicatiing that perhaps I thought that crock pots were the bomb. I am stating for the record that in fact I meant "croc's rule". Okay...now I feel better. *hee hee*

Some of you guys are crazy. When I heard on the radio that the croc hunter was killed by a stingray, I thought it was a bad joke. The dj's were being real stupid. I didn't find out for sure until later that evening. It is sad with anyones passing but someone who was young and full of energy and just knowing he had a wife and young kids made my heart go out to them.

He had enough happiness and enjoyment (by doing what he loved) in his short life to fill the lives of many of us who's combined age would be 3 times his age.

Better to die in your 40's loving every bit of your life than to live to 100 as couch potato.

I don't know if there's truth to this, but apparently while he was still alive he made the request that if he die doing something "natural" (for him), he wanted the video to be shared with his audience. From there we get the rumor that they will be airing the video taken of him getting hit and... expiring. I bet the TIVOs will be going crazy that night.

Well....another LBT'er here VERY SORRY to see the passing of the Croc Hunter! I loved watching the shows with my 3 y.o.son, who is iterrested in animals because of those kind of shows. Personally, I would not have my child around those kind of reptiles, which I did see Bindi Sue with snakes and stuff, but I really doubt he'd put of his family in harms way on purpose w/o knowing what he was doing (I know, the holding Baby Bob while messing w/a croc was not too bright), but how many of us have NOT done stupid things? Needless to say I don't believe he did it again. Working w/wild animals is how how he made his living and if he and his wife were OK with it, they also were aware of the risks, then so be it. I'd very much rather my son watched this show than some of this other garbage out there. I really think Steve DID die doing what he loved, I really doubt that happens to a majority of folks that die. Also I was at StingRay city in Grand Cayman in 2000. I loved it and would go back in a heartbeat! (If I do go back, I'd like to be 100 lbs thinner than I am now). Like anything else, this was just an unfortunate, freak accident!

I found his shows very entertaining and informative. I feel for his wife and children and his parents. I feel it is a great loss to the animal kingdom