Monday, September 04, 2006

Wake Me Up When September Ends

Rest in Peace

Steve Irwin
February 22, 1962 – September 4, 2006

18 comments:

egan said...

This news saddens me very much. The guy loved his work and that's not something most of us can say. I'm sure he will get mocked over the next week or two, but it's too bad he's gone with a very young child and wife as survivors. Thanks Candace.

P.S. we had a pack of raccoons in our yard last night and it made me think of you.

C said...

If anyone mocks him and his death, they deserve a very slow and painful expiration of their own.

My heart goes out to Terri and the kids. I can't imagine what they're going through right now.

I hope you were nice to the raccys.

egan said...

Yes, I was nice to the raccoons. I didn't try to scare them or anything. They only stayed in our yard for about ten minutes before moving on.

Steve was a great guy and exposed us to many things you may not ever see in real life. I hope his family is doing well.

C said...

Aw, good on ya, Mate! :-)

Me, too. Yesterday was very surreal and depressing.

egan said...

The guy loved his work and you can't hate a person for that.

BlondeBlogger said...

I am still so upset about this and can't stop thinking about it. My heart is just so broken over it.

:(

C said...

He was such an icon, and such a very personable guy. I'm still reeling and can't stop thinking about those he left behind.

egan said...

Try watching his manager on Larry King Live. Oh my, this guy is having a rough go in the aftermath.

White Magpie said...

Yes..May he rest in peace..something tells me he wouldn't have liked to go any other way..went with his boots on..

GuTTer MuNKi said...

I didn't really grasp just how dedicated to the critters he was until I saw one of his shows about saving the animals at a zoo that had been abandoned. I think it was in New Guinea. The government had collapsed, and the state zoo was just abandoned. Steve went in to save the animals. The croc cage was flooded with water - waist or more deep. As they were trying to extract her from the cage, something went badly and the croc was in danger of getting hurt. As I recall, the ropes were coming off of her and she hung up on the edge of the cement. Without even a second of hesitation, Steve jumped into the cage to help her. In waist deep water, he would have had absolutely no chance. If the croc turned on him, it was immediate death. I still get chills thinking about that.

It will be years before the sounds of his balls clanking together stop echoing around the globe.

egan said...

Yep, that's a great story Gutter Munki. Mr. Irwin will be missed as you can tell he truly cared about those animals. He was a very warm person. We'll miss you Steve!

ldbug said...

OMG!! I leave for a weekend to that far off land of Montana, and I miss alllll the news! Man, I'm really sad about this, really cool guy, and damn, he died on my pseudo-boyfriendish person's birthday:-(

The Leonard Files said...

Hello, just found this site via a link with Winters, its true that there has been a lot of emails floating about mocking Steve Irwin, but I think the vast majority of people are really upset. I heard they might give him a state funeral?!?

egan said...

Anyone mocking Steve Irwin is a coward. This guy did what he loved. Sure there were inherent risks of the job, but he put himself out there to teach about animal conservation. I can predict which blogs will be mocking them and I will be trashing those blog if and when they do.

GuTTer MuNKi said...

I second that thought Egan. I actually think that he did far more for animal conservation, in terms of actually affecting people's attitudes, than anybody else ever, in the history of the world. Don't give me Muir. Don't even give me Audubon. When it comes to getting Joe and Jane Schmoe to actually give a damn about the animals, it is all about Steve-O.

jlmack said...

I always thought he was bit much, but man, did he ever love his work. I have a lot of respect for that. And he did a lot for his cause and his country. Is it true that he actually took the barb out of his chest? He died doing what he loved; I hope we can all be as lucky.

egan said...

Jaichan, I've heard several accounts of the tragic day. His manager states the final thing he did was pull the barb out of his chest before passing away. I couldn't imagine how awful that had to be to witness.

Gutter, yes... I agree with you so much on this point. There have been many others ahead of him and there will be many others after him, but none will connect with the general public like Mr. Irwin did. He had a genuine interest in protecting the animals and the environment. His loss will be tough to swallow.

BlondeBlogger said...

I've seen some of these comments that have bashed him. I've seen the hackers on Wikipedia do their damage. And I've heard of false charities being set up in his name. Disgusting. Beyond disgusting. Those people all make me want to vomit.