Steve Irwin's widow revealed chilling prediction Crocodile Hunter made before his tragic death
This September will mark the 19-year death anniversary of iconic Australian conservationist Steve Irwin, but according to his widow, Terri Irwin, he'd always prophesied a short life for himself.
After meeting each other in 1991, the couple tied the knot just 12 months later in Terri's home city of Eugene, Oregon, before welcoming their daughter Bindi in 1998 and son Robert in 2003.
Steve, who would've been 63 years old this Saturday (22 February), tragically died on 4 September 2006, aged 44, while filming in the Great Barrier Reef for a docuseries titled Oceans Deadliest.
Upon encountering a usually docile species of stingray in the water, the beloved 'Crocodile Hunter' was fatally pierced in both his heart and lungs by its barbed tail.
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In a Sky News interview from 2008, Terri revealed that her late husband's foot was forever on the accelerator because of his doomy suspicions.
"He had a sense of his own mortality and it was only heightened after he lost his mother in an automobile accident," she explained.
"He said: 'I have a feeling something like that's going to happen,' and he was always in a hurry. 'I want to get as much done as I can while I'm here,' and I would always change the subject or ignore it when he brought that up.
"But I feel that looking back now it's a real life lesson, and for me and my family and people that I talk to, I try to inspire people to do it now - to take a page out of Steve's book.
"He was never morbid or dramatic about it, he was very matter-of-fact."
Terri also spoke of her husband's death being filmed, stating that it was common that everything Steve did with animals was caught on camera. She was also given the footage once police had finished with it, which she promptly 'disposed' of it - despite some people's belief that they have seen it.
She added: "To me that was the last of Steve and it was almost like having a funeral for that as well."
As well as producing some of the greatest wildlife TV shows we've ever seen, Steve was also a visionary.
He once told current affairs programme, 60 Minutes, of his plan to save the animal world, sharing: "I've been put on this planet to protect wildlife and wilderness areas, which in essence is going to help humanity.
"I want to have the purest oceans, I want to be able to drink water straight out of that creek, I want to stop the ozone layer, I want to save the world.
"And you know money's great, I can't get enough money and you know what I'm going to do with it? I'm going to buy wilderness areas with it. Every single cent I get goes straight into conservation."
His legacy ultimately lives on in his children.
Topics: Steve Irwin, Animals, Australia
Dan Seddon