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Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, has died after being struck by a stingray barb in Queensland.

Mr Irwin, 44 died after the stingray barb went through his chest while he was shooting a documentary off Port Douglas.

The Queensland Police Service has confirmed Mr Irwin's death. In a statement, it said Mr Irwin collapsed after being stung by a sting ray at Batt Reef, off Port Douglas, about 11am.

After being struck, Mr Irwin's crew called for medical treatment and the Emergency Management Queensland Helicopter responded, but he was dead before the treatment arrived.

The statement said Mr Irwin's family has been advised.

His American-born wife Terri is reported to be trekking on Cradle Mountain in Tasmania.

A spokesman for the Queensland Ambulance Service said officers attended the scene on Low Isles via helicopter at 12.04pm today and arrived back in Cairns at 12.53pm.

"The area it was delivered to was the problem. A sting ray hit to the chest is a big problem," he said.

Mr Irwin - known worldwide as the Crocodile Hunter - is famous for his enthusiasm for wildlife and his catchcry "Crikey!".

The father of two's Crocodile Hunter program was first broadcast in 1992 and has been shown around the world on cable network Discovery.

He also starred in movies and has developed the Australia Zoo wildlife park, north of Brisbane, which was started by his parents Bob and Lyn Irwin.

Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who used a photograph of his family at Australia Zoo for his official Christmas card last year, hailed Mr Irwin for his work in promoting Australia.

Mr Irwin was heavily involved in last year's "G'Day LA" campaign.

"The minister knew him, was fond of him and was very, very appreciative of all the work he'd done to promote Australia overseas," a spokesman said.

A spokeswoman for Irwin's Australia Zoo said she was aware of reports of his death and the zoo would not be making any statements at this stage.

According to the zoo's website, Irwin was born in Victoria in 1962, but
moved with his family to Queensland in 1970 when his father, Bob, started a reptile park on the Sunshine Coast.

Irwin married American Terri Raines in 1992 after she visited the zoo
on holiday.

theage.com.au, with AAP

Boy, this is one of those things where you don't know what to think. I wonder how many oddsmakers had bets that he'd be done in by a croc?

Instead, it was a freak:

When asked if he had ever heard of anyone dying from a stingray barb Matthew Hurley, general manager of Quicksilver Group, whose company has taken tours to Low Isles for 26 years, said: "No, definitely not."

"We've never heard of or been involved with anything like that."

Ross Coleman, acting director at at University of Sydney Institute of Marine Science, told smh.com.au it was "quite rare" for someone to die from contact with a stingray and he couldn't recall hearing of another incident.

Stingrays were "dangerous if provoked", he said.

"As a recreational diving instructor you hear of people getting injured by standing on them ... but they rarely die."

Crikey!

Stingrays were "dangerous if provoked", he said.

Seems that's all that guy ever did: provoke dangerous animals. Poetic justice.

"He came on top of the stingray and the stingray's barb went up and into his chest and put a hole into his heart," said Stainton, who was on board Irwin's boat at the time.

This is from the AP story. Stingray barbs are not normally fatal but getting one in the heart can change the odds.

UncleBeer wrote:

Stingrays were "dangerous if provoked", he said.

Seems that's all that guy ever did: provoke dangerous animals. Poetic justice.

It's not often I agree with UncleBeer....but this time he's spot on. The dancing the baby around the croc act didn't win him any fans either. To quote Richard Dawson in the movie "The Running Man" hopefully, we'll see this type of thing "only in re-runs".

UncleBeer wrote:

Stingrays were "dangerous if provoked", he said.

Seems that's all that guy ever did: provoke dangerous animals. Poetic justice.

I would hardly say he "provoked" dangerous animals. He handled them with respect and care. Yes, he did remove them from the safety of their dens and present them to the camera but never in a manner as to unduly stress the animal.

Mr. Irwin, his wife and his career provided a great service to the natural world, interesting millions of viewers in the miraculous beauty that exist in nature. Was he a showman? Yes, he was. (As performers, should we criticize that?) Did he do stupid things? Sure...remember his baby and the croc? Still,he still presented the world of nature with a genuine sense of wide-eyed excitment. The shows were not necessarilly deep in terms of facts, but they still educated many about creatures they might never have heard of. He will be missed!

"Poetic justice" my ***!

DINNERTIME!

From CNN:

"'He came over the top of a stingray that was buried in the sand, and the barb came up and hit him in the chest," said Stainton.'"

Depending on the depth of the water - he was snorkeling - I can easily see how this could happen to anyone, especially considering the fact that the ray was buried. I would equate this to a NASCAR driver dying in a traffic accident.

Certainly the guy took certain risks doing what he did, but I think anyone who has been snorkeling or diving would know not to do anything to aggravate an underwater predator (not that rays are aggressive), considering you really have no mobility. I've seen many rays underwater and have never felt in danger, but I'd never go near a croc!

Tom

That's one reason that I have a hard time referring to what happened to myself as an "accident". It was a crash. When you're sitting in a racecar, surrounded by roll tubing, wearing a full-face carbon fiber helmet, wearing a 3 layer head-to-toe Nomex® suit, surrounded by fire extinguishers and with an internal and external electrical cut-off, its hard for me to say that being cut out of a car was "unforseen".

UncleBeer wrote:DINNERTIME!

Just to let everyone know, that is an altered photo. Here is the real one:

"He came on top of the stingray and the stingray's barb went up and into his chest and put a hole into his heart,"

I think this is what is called a heart attack.
(paarumpump)

Says a little something about 'natural selection', doesn't it?

I wish all the best to his wife and children as I hug Sam goodnight here at the Chisham Ranch. Tragic shame.

My father died when I was nine. My condolences to the family.

Doc wrote:God help the Irwin kids and their mother. They're going to need it. Whether he was an entertainer, educator, bullshit artist, love him or loathe him, it's terrible when small kids lose a parent.

Amen, bro'

His widow, Terri, is a Eugene native. Her sister, who lives here, said that she's really distraught over his death.

In the past decade 17 deaths were the direct result of stingray barb injuries, according to Surf Life Saving Australia, a beach-safety organization.

Memorable Steve Irwin Quotes:
"Crikey, mate. You're far safer dealing with crocodiles and western diamondback rattle snakes than the executives and the producers and all those sharks in the big MGM building."

"I would never blame an animal if it bit me, because I'm at fault, not them. I heal so quickly. If you cut my arm off, I would grow a new one."

I really dug what he did. Do I think it sometimes went a little overboard? Sure, but that's just my opinion. I've always wanted to know about some of these animals and I do now because of him. My condolences go to his wife and family.

Ralph

I sort of found his death ironic...Being killed by one of the most docile sea creatures. Also, we read something from some Austrilian news post that said that he's only the 4th person killed by a sting ray off of the coast of Austrilia.