Steve Irwin’s daughter, Bindi Irwin, shared a sweet message in honor of her late father’s birthday.
Bindi, aged 26, expressed her birthday wishes to her late father, Steve, on what would have been his 63rd birthday, through an Instagram post on February 22. Along with her message, she shared a heartwarming throwback picture of herself as a child with her dad.
In her Instagram post, Bindi honored her father by acknowledging his legacy as the greatest Wildlife Warrior to the world while cherishing him as the most extraordinary dad and the guiding light for their family. She expressed her love for him and the pain of missing him every single day.
Steve, who was known as a wildlife conservationist and a beloved television personality, tragically passed away in September 2006 at the age of 44 after an unfortunate incident involving a stingray barb. He is survived by his wife, Terri Irwin, and their two children, Bindi and her brother, Robert.
Robert also shared a tribute to his dad via Instagram on Saturday, sharing a photo of a younger Steve holding a crocodile. “Always my greatest inspiration,” Robert captioned the post.
Both Bindi and Robert were young — ages 8 and 2, respectively — at the time of Steve’s passing. Robert, for his part, celebrated his 21st birthday in December 2024, and paid tribute to his dad on social media. In his post, Robert noted that “it can be hard to celebrate the milestones when there’s someone missing.”
“Today I turn 21,” Robert wrote via Instagram at the time, alongside several throwback photos of Steve. “I was looking through the archives a few days ago and I found these pictures of my dad on his 21st. It can be hard to celebrate the milestones when there’s someone missing, but I will carry his memory and passion with me in this new chapter of life. I am one lucky guy to be surrounded by my amazing family today. Time to celebrate!”
Bindi continues to run the Australia Zoo with Robert and their mother Terri, 60, as well as Bindi’s husband Chandler Powell, with whom she shares 4-year-old daughter Grace.
“He was the same person in real life as he was on screen, so I feel like Grace is able to grow up knowing him,” Bindi exclusively told Us Weekly in May 2024, revealing that she often plays footage from The Crocodile Hunter for Grace. “As soon as we turn Dad on, she starts doing her imitation, yelling ‘Crikey!’ through the living room.”
She added, “If I had the chance, the one thing I’d say to my dad is, ‘I love you, and I miss you. Every day that you aren’t here is hard. But we hope to be making you proud.’ I think when there’s love that is that great, it never truly goes away. He’s always with us.”
