It’s always tough when a beloved public figure leaves this life behind, but Steve Irwin’s passing was particularly hard on his fans, as the Crocodile Hunter was seemingly untouchable to the wild animals he so cared for. On the 15th anniversary of his tragic passing, his daughter Bindi Irwin penned a sweet tribute to the late animal advocate, and it has the loss of Irwin feeling pretty raw.
Bindi Irwin marked the anniversary of Steve Irwin's passing with a sweet Instagram tribute that honors her late father and includes a beautiful message about her young daughter. She says she imagines her father is acting as guardian angel for her baby girl and that it is her wish for him to have been able to hug her child:
This sweetheart has been watching her ‘Grandpa Crocodile’ on the projector at our camp here on the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve. She lights up when she sees him on screen. I wish with all my heart that Dad could hug my beautiful girl. It’s been 15 years since he passed away. I hold on to the thought that he’s her guardian angel now, watching over the most special part of my life, Grace Warrior.
The message is accompanied by a photo of her daughter in an Australia Zoo uniform and a photo of Irwin as a young child with her father. You can see the heart- wrenching post for yourself below:
Is it just me, or is there something in thousands of fans’ eyes? Bindi Irwin was just 8 years old when her father died and, now, she has a baby of her own. Steve Irwin often featured his wife and children on his televised programs, and his love for his family was evident; I’m probably not the only one who can picture him being the perfect grandfather to sweet little Grace Warrior.
In fact, fans are having pretty emotional reactions to Bindi Irwin’s beautiful post. Aside from what seems to be thousands of heart emojis, fans are leaving their own messages of how much Steve Irwin meant to them and how heartbroken they are over his loss in their lives but especially the lives of his loving family.
Fans are also sharing stories of their own fathers’ passing, saying it’s something that someone never really fully recovers from. One fan speaks of her own child born after the death of her father, saying that the pain of the two not meeting is one that makes the loss even harder to handle. The fact that Bindi Irwin’s daughter has seemingly endless footage of her grandfather doing wonderful things is a significant light in the darkness of his physical absence, though.
It’s pretty safe to say that Steve Irwin’s two children have lived up to his legacy and have kept the memory of him alive in so many ways. Bindi and Robert Irwin have continued their father’s love and protection of animals and have taken on major roles at Australia Zoo, where both their mother and father met and built a life together, raising their two now-adult children. Now, it would seem, Irwin’s granddaughter is growing to take over the reins.
While millions mourned the loss of Steve Irwin, it’s nothing compared to what his family felt and still feel. The Irwin family is growing, though, and it sounds like the new generation will know the love of The Crocodile Hunter, too.
