'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin Dies in Stingray Attack

Steve Irwin, the man known around the world as the "Crocodile Hunter" in Australia has died in a stingray attack off the Great Barrier Reef.

Irwin, 44, had been filming a documentary off Port Douglas in northern Queensland when he was killed by a stingray barb through the heart. He was rushed to hospital by helicopter, but he died en route.

Irwin was famous for his enthusiasm for wildlife and his catchword "Crikey!" in his television program Crocodile Hunter. First broadcast in Australia in 1992, the program was picked up by the Discovery network, catapulting Irwin to international fame.

Irwin made news headlines in 2004 after involving his infant son in one of his crocodile stunts. Irwin held his son Bob, who was a month old at the time, in one arm while he dangled a piece of chicken over the snapping jaws of a four-metre crocodile.

Irwin is survived by his American-born wife Terri, their daughter Bindi Sue, 8, and son Bob.

[Source from; cbc.ca]