Steve Irwin’s Daughter Still Cries over Late Dad Yet Feels ‘Lucky’ to Be Mom of Girl Named in His Honor

• Steve’s daughter still gets emotional at the mention of her father.

• Steve’s granddaughter was named after him.

• Steve’s kids continue to follow in his footsteps.

The early 2000s were filled with Steve Irwin’s smiling face as he wrestled with some of nature’s most dangerous animals. Fans worldwide admired the Australian Zookeeper, and he inspired many to follow the wildlife path.

However, in 2006, tragedy struck when Steve Irwin passed away after an encounter with a sting ray while filming his show, “The Crocodile Hunter.” He left behind his wife and two young children, who still talk about him today.

Unveiling the memorial family statue Robert Irwin and Bindi Irwin attend “Steve Irwin Memorial Day” at Australia Zoo on November 15, 2007 on the Sunshine Coast, Australia | Source: Getty Images

Once, on his show, Irwin confessed that he didn’t want to be a father when he was younger. He said he “couldn’t really give a rip.” However, his mind changed for good when his daughter, Bindi Irwin, was born.

He mentioned that he was the proudest father and that he couldn’t talk about his daughter for too long without crying. When Bindi’s brother, Robert, was born, Irwin described similar emotions to when Bindi was born.

Talking about what it meant to be a father, Irwin said that it was like nothing else. He expressed:

“The whole time you hear, you’re like, ‘I’m catching crocs, I’m saving wildlife, I’m doing this, and I’m doing that.’ But when Bindi was born, I had the same sensation now with little Bob. Same sensation, like, ‘This is why I was put here.'”

He also mentioned what he would like for his children in the event of his death. Irwin prophetically announced that he could be dead at any time and wanted to have as many children as quickly as possible because of that.

Irwin then said that he would like his children to continue his legacy of zookeeping and crocodile hunting. They keep their father’s memory alive through animal conservation and running the zoo he left behind.

Bindi Irwin Still Misses Her Father and Honored Him with Her Daughter

Bindi was only eight years old when her father passed away, but she remembers a lot about him and still clings to those memories. She concluded that you never know when grief might sneak up on you.

Although it has been many years since she lost her father, she still gets emotional when talking about him and has said that even things she has done many times can make her emotional out of the blue. She said she is proud to continue his legacy, but sometimes she gets morose. She revealed:

“What gets me the most is those moments when I’d love him to be there and share what we’re doing.”

Many people wondered if Bindi and Robert were forced into their jobs because of their father or chose their career path because they were as passionate about wildlife as their father was. Bindi confirmed that she and Robert loved their jobs and wouldn’t want to do anything else.

Although she loves her hob and has no problem continuing her father’s legacy, she mentioned that she would like to be able to ask him for his advice or ask him how he had done things before her. She said that he was wise and an excellent sounding board.

This was all said just before her 21st birthday when Bindi said she had one gift she looked forward to most every year: going to camp at the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve. She mused that his presence would be felt more in her 21st year than ever before.

Bindi recalled that after her father died, people would approach her and tell her they were sorry for her loss and that time would heal the wound left by her father’s death. However, Bindi confirmed that was not true, as she had lost a part of her heart that she would replace.

While Bindi and Robert continue their father’s legacy by upholding wildlife conservation, running the zoo, and speaking about him often, they also honor him in another way. They have a reality TV show called “Crikey! It’s the Irwins!” which airs on Animal Planet.

Talking about their show and other efforts, Bindi said she hoped their father was proud of everything they were doing. She said:

“I hope that somewhere he’s out there going ‘Yes! You did good!'”

In 2018, Irwin was honored with a posthumous star on the Walk of Fame, and his family was delighted. Bindi called him “the best and most incredible conservationist on the planet, but also the best dad.”

By 2021, Bindi and her husband, Chandler Powell, had welcomed a bundle of joy of their own. Their daughter, Grace Warrior Irwin Powell, was named after her grandfather and great-great-grandmother.

Grace was Bindi’s great-grandmother, but her middle names, Warrior Irwin, are a tribute to Bindi’s father. Bindi and Chandler teach their daughter all about her grandfather, even though he is not around.

The young tot was born on her parent’s wedding anniversary, March 25, 2021, and Bindi considered it the perfect day for her to be born. She also said that the tot was already very much like her father.

In a video posted on Bindi’s Instagram page, Grace is seen looking at a photo mural on a wall at Australia Zoo, where Irwin and his wife are standing together holding a koala. Grace approaches the wall and points at her grandparents, who she calls Bunny and Grandpa Crocodile.

The tot has plenty of other opportunities to remember her grandparent, though. Bindi and Chandler often talk about him, and teach her about the zoo through his teachings as well. Bindi also posted a photo of herself and her father, telling him that she knew he would be a good grandfather because he was an excellent dad.

In another video on Bindi’s Instagram page, little Grace can be seen running toward a poster that showed her grandfather in a construction hat. The photo was used to announce that the zoo was under construction, but Grace took the opportunity to bond with her grandfather.

Bindi explained in the video that the zoo’s Tasmanian devil habitat was under construction to make it “even more beautiful.” Still, Grace was only interested in seeing her Grandpa Crocodile on the poster.

When talking about her daughter, Bindi said she was strong and independent from infancy and knows she will take on any challenge easily. She said she would always be there for her daughter and considered herself lucky to be her mother.