OT:RIP Steve Erwin

Ellie H · September 04, 2006, 01:13:18 AM

Sad news.. The crocodile hunter has been killed by a sting ray. My whole family loves his show and he will be missed.

Ash · September 04, 2006, 01:21:10 AM

This is sad news.
I used to watch his show on Animal Planet all the time.

Strangely, down in his home country of Australia, he wasn't nearly as popular as he was here in the U.S.
Down there, they all thought he was a big joke.
I never thought that though.

I always thought of him as a good guy who really loved to be around animals and it showed in his enthusiasm.
And I always thought to myself that if this guy dies at an early age, it would be from an animal.
I never thought it would be a stingray.
What a senseless and empty death.
Well, at least he died doing what he loved.

I'll definitely miss him.

akiratubo · September 04, 2006, 06:17:49 AM

RIP He was the real deal as far as loving animals went. He put a lot of the money he made back into his animal preserve. I hope it can get along without him.

Also remember his family. He left a widow, an eight-year-old daughter, and a three-year-old son.

ulthar · September 04, 2006, 07:35:50 AM

ASHTHECAT Wrote:
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>
> What a senseless and empty death.
> Well, at least he died doing what he loved.
>

Sad, yes, but not senseless and empty. Imo, dying doing what you love means you are having a FULL life.

RIP, Steve. Good on ya for the work you've done.

The Burgomaster · September 04, 2006, 08:08:15 AM

Crikey!

Ash · September 04, 2006, 08:26:26 AM

ulthar Wrote:
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> Sad, yes, but not senseless and empty. Imo, dying
> doing what you love means you are having a FULL
> life.

Yeah...I suppose you're right.
I guess I should've rephrased that.

Scott · September 04, 2006, 12:52:40 PM

I remember when he first came on the air thinking how dangerous that stuff was even for an animal handler. He kinda lost popularity with the baby stunt. Not sure what he was thinking there, but we all make our mistakes. He was a good guy and great TV personality. Loved the show while it was on.

daveblackeye15 · September 04, 2006, 01:54:42 PM

Damn.

I wasn't a big fan of him but that doesn't mean I disliked him. It seems like he was always there on t.v. while I grew up though. A familiar face.

Ed, Ego and Superego · September 04, 2006, 03:32:30 PM

I didn't mind him, but didn't watch him either. If I racall correctly, his wife is from Eugene Oregon. A friend of mine said she worked with her.
_Ed

trekgeezer · September 04, 2006, 03:40:55 PM

This might mean a little to his family, Steve's last name is Irwin. I only call attention to this because my last name is Erwin. We're cousins somewhere back in our ancestry.

Yaddo 42 · September 05, 2006, 06:33:45 AM

I hate it for his wife and children, to lose a parent at an early age is really rough. They get cheated out of so much.

I lost interest in him once the novelty wore off, he was too "on" for me, I guess I like my nature programs to be a little more serious minded and I'll say it, stuffy.

Can't say I'm surprised his death involved an animal, hadn't seen anything of his in a while and didn't know he was branching out beyond his usual critters. The article I read about his death had a comment from someone who knew him professionally who said he was out of his element in the water and figured water could be his downfall if an animal ever got him.

Just Plain Horse · September 05, 2006, 02:18:12 PM

Yaddo 42 Wrote:
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> Can't say I'm surprised his death involved an
> animal, hadn't seen anything of his in a while and
> didn't know he was branching out beyond his usual
> critters. The article I read about his death had a
> comment from someone who knew him professionally
> who said he was out of his element in the water
> and figured water could be his downfall if an
> animal ever got him.

Ironic to say the least... I hear his death was caught on film- this leads me to an ethics question: If it was shown somewhere, would you watch it?

Ash · September 05, 2006, 02:47:37 PM

Just Plain Horse Wrote:
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Ironic to say the least... I hear his death was
> caught on film- this leads me to an ethics
> question: If it was shown somewhere, would you
> watch it?

I already tried looking for it online but couldn't find anything.
Yes, I'd definitely watch it.

Amanda · September 05, 2006, 04:04:05 PM

Yeah...they said that they have the entire thing on video from him getting stung and pulling the barb from his chest, and then he was gone.

I'm sure it'll be available soon, and no, I don't think I'd watch it. I like my death scenes cinematic, not real.

Just Plain Horse · September 05, 2006, 04:52:31 PM

Amanda Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yeah...they said that they have the entire thing
> on video from him getting stung and pulling the
> barb from his chest, and then he was gone.
>
> I'm sure it'll be available soon, and no, I don't
> think I'd watch it. I like my death scenes
> cinematic, not real.

I personally think it's a tad bit ghoulish to seek out such images of "real" death, especially of those whom you like, just to satisfy your curiousity. Death is... niether good or bad, it just is... I refuse to trivialize it because the media is more than happy to use it for their own ends.