Robert Irwin opens up about the death of his father Steve Irwin

In 2006, the beloved animal lover and TV personality Steve Irwin died in a tragic accident. At the age of 44, Irwin died after being stung in the heart by a stingray while filming an underwater documentary.

The Australian star is survived by his wife Terri (59), daughter Bindi (25) and son Robert (20).

The latter – who lost his father only a few weeks before his third birthday – chose to follow in Steve’s footsteps and today works in animal protection at Australia Zoo.

In front of Australian Women’s Weekly, reproduced by News.com.au, he now tells honestly about the grief related to his father’s passing.

– Not a day goes by where I don’t think: “Gee, I wonder what I would ask dad if he were here”, he says candidly, and continues:

– When you lose a father figure at such a young age, who has such a clear presence of positivity and all that is good in the world, it goes without saying that all I want is for him to be here for me and say: “What do you think about yours? What do you think about that?”. There are so many things I wish I could ask him.

He does not hide that both his mother and sister were greatly affected by the death, and that he is grateful for their support during the difficult time.

– When you are three years old, you don’t know what death means. But for Mother and Bindi, it was real, unfiltered, devastating grief. I am so grateful for how they have helped me navigate life. I’ll always feel like I’m missing a part of myself, but I never feel like I’ve missed out on anything.

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