Steve Irwin ‘Crocodile Hunter' left family with surprisingly small insurance policy at time of death
Upon his untimely death in 2006, the 'Crocodile Hunter' was indeed rolling in it – by some estimates he had accrued more than $15 million.
But he left wife Terri and children Robert and Bindi with a comparatively small $200,000.
That all came from an insurance policy, reports realesate.com.au.
The rest of his multimillion-dollar fortune went into Australia Zoo and other wildlife work.
'Everything was reinvested into conservation work,' Terri told the Australian Financial Review in 2024.
4 Steve Irwin poses with his children, Bindi and Robert, while holding an alligator at Australia Zoo on June 25, 2005.
Newspix via Getty Images
4 Steve Irwin with Terri and Bindi at the Australia Zoo on Dec. 14, 2002.
Newspix via Getty Images
'I was in debt … and Steve's life insurance, I think, was the sum total of $200,000, ($130,541 USD) which didn't even cover half of one week's payroll'.
Nonetheless, he had ensured that the zoo had a business plan for the future and that its ownership went directly to Terri.
Irwin died on September 4, 2006, at the age of 42, when a stingray barb pierced his heart.
Last year, Terri Irwin opened up about the pain she still feels following her husband's death.
4 Robert, Bindi and Terri Irwin attend the Steve Irwin gala at Bellagio Resort & Casino on May 11, 2024.
Getty Images
Speaking on Wiggle Tpalk, a podcast for parents, Ms Irwin said: 'Eventually, when they say time heals all wounds it doesn't. But eventually it changes it and it walks next to you'.
'It's always there and you have to acknowledge your grief but it's a companion rather than an all-consuming feeling.
'If you can focus on that and focus on, there's some grief you really never get over, it's OK. You're going to be OK and your kids will be OK. The sun will shine again. It may not shine as bright but it will shine again, that's what you need to hold on to.'
4 Terri, Bindi and Robert Irwin hold a snake as Steve Irwin is honored posthumously with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 26, 2018.
Getty Images
In December, Robert Irwin told Stellar magazine that he had mixed feelings about reaching the age of 21 without his dad around.
'It can be heartbreaking. I can't beat around the bush. It's really hard, particularly when it's those milestones,' he said.
'It's difficult navigating that without a father figure. But I have to really praise my entire family, and particularly my mum, on the way in which she's stepped up, to make sure that – while there will always be part of myself missing and I'll never be complete – I never felt like I missed out on anything.'
Robert added: 'I hope that somewhere, somehow, he knows I'm trying to make him proud.'
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