Tragic Details About Steve Irwin's Daughter Bindi Irwin

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Bindi Irwin has grown up quite a bit before the public eye, but in that time, she has faced many tragic moments in her life. From the loss of her famous father, to the ongoing health journey she battled for years, to being pushed by the public about growing her family, the eldest Irwin daughter has endured a number of devastating occurrences. But she hasn't let them keep her down — not grief, not social media, not even family members — by focusing on finding the joy in life.

With her family at her side, including her husband, Chandler Powell, and her young daughter, Grace Warrior, she's faced the dark side of life with a strong support system ready to help guide her. "I'm trying to bring a little more light and love in everyone's day by sharing what we're doing at Australia Zoo, our conservation work and maybe brighten someone's day," she explained to Page Six. "You have to choose to rise, and continue to do what you love, and that's kind of the road that I've decided to take."

Bindi Irwin's famous father, Steve Irwin, aka the Crocodile Hunter, was a beloved television figure and wildlife advocate in the 1990's and early 2000's. The adventurer made a name for himself battling ferocious creatures from around the world and endeared the hearts of millions when he and wife Terri welcomed their children, Bindi and Robert.

Even though Steve Irwin cheated death many times throughout his career, tragedy struck when the Irwin patriarch was killed by a stingray barb while filming a documentary series in Australia. Bindi Irwin was just 8 years old. "I remember when I was little and dad had just died and every adult that I saw ... would say to me, 'Time heals all wounds' and I remember thinking as an 8 year old, 'What in the heck does that mean?'" she revealed on an episode of the "A Life of Greatness" podcast. "Time changes your grief, time changes things and your perspective, but ... that feeling is just a part of me, it's like a scar on your heart."

Over time, the eldest Irwin child learned to adapt to life while continuously navigating her grief, even if that meant rewriting the narrative that well-meaning adults shared with her in her youth — mainly that "time does not heal all wounds:" "It's okay to be sad, and it's also okay to find happiness again," she told Parents in 2025. "I choose to believe that Dad is still with us, and that he's now our guiding light through life."

Even at the age of 8, Bindi Irwin was sure that she wanted to follow in her father's footsteps — not only as a wildlife conservationist, but also as someone who poured as much into others as they did for themselves. That's part of the reason why the then-young Bindi asked to give her father's eulogy at his funeral. "Before the event actually took place, I came to mom and said, 'I would like to do this for myself and for everyone else' and it was something where I personally wanted to say to the world, to anyone watching, to anyone who wanted to hear it, that we would be carrying on," she explained to OWN. "I think that, in a way, you can still feel him here at the [Australia] Zoo."

The little one's speech would go on to be viewed by an estimated 300 million people worldwide as she addressed an in-person crowd of 5,000 at her family's famous workplace, the Australia Zoo. During the eulogy, she recounted her adventures with her father, as well as her hope to continue his legacy alongside her mother and brother. "I know that Daddy had an important job," she shared with the crowd (via ABC News). "He was working to change the world so everyone would love wildlife like he did ... I don't want Daddy's passion to ever end. I want to help endangered wildlife just like he did. I had the best Daddy in whole world."

Looking back, Irwin reflected that her decision to deliver the eulogy was part of her lifelong healing journey through grief. "It was difficult to watch the strongest person in my life be taken away," she told Parents. "I wanted to make sure that everybody else knew that we would keep going."

In the wake of her father's death, Bindi Irwin faced a new challenge that she hadn't met before: separation anxiety. It became so severe over time that she would instantly become worried whenever her mother or brother left the room. The toll it took on her mentally and physically was significant. "It's scary after you lose the strongest person in your life," she revealed in an interview for the "A Life of Greatness" podcast.

Eventually, her anxiety journey led her to take a break from social media in 2021, where she explained that she wanted to spend more time with her young daughter and family. But the pause wasn't without acknowledgement of her fellow mental health mates. "To my friends who are dealing with depression, anxiety and other battles every day — I see you," she said in an Instagram post announcing her break (via ABC News). "These issues are very real and deserve to be discussed and addressed,"

But it wasn't just Bindi who experienced new territory following the Crocodile Hunter's passing. She credited her mother, Terri, who suddenly became a single mother, with keeping the Irwin siblings grounded and safe. "I don't know where she found that strength, but I'm in awe of her every day," she shared on the podcast.

Almost a decade after her father's death, Bindi Irwin made a moving tribute to him during one of her routines on "Dancing with the Stars" alongside partner Derek Hough. The number was a contemporary styled piece set to The Police's "Every Breath You Take," and the pair's emotional performance moved the judges, the audience, and even the dancers themselves to tears. "I can remember being little, you know: 'The one thing I want to do is be just like Dad when I grow up,'" she shared with Hough in a pre-packaged clip before their performance. "And I still feel like that. It took a really long time to understand what actually happened. For the rest of my life, I'll kind of feel like he's going to come home."

After their routine received high scores and even higher praise, Irwin recalled the difficulty of controlling her nerves prior to entering the stage. "It was all I could do not to cry," she shared with US Weekly. "We came off stage and I couldn't stop shaking!" Hough also explained how he was able to care for his partner as they traversed such an emotional subject to bring to life creatively. "I was just holding her ears and blocking it out so we could focus on the dance, and then after the dance you can let it out because it is hard to hysterically cry while dancing," he shared with People (via Entertainment Weekly). Irwin and Hough went on to win that season of "Dancing with the Stars."

Steve Irwin's death wasn't the first time Bindi Irwin lost a loved one. She was just a toddler when her grandmother, Lyn Irwin, died in a car accident in 2000, and her death left a big hole in the family. Like Bob Irwin, Lyn was also a conservationist. Lyn and Bob moved the family to Queensland, where they opened the then-called Beerwah Reptile Park, now Australia Zoo. It was there that the Irwins' lifelong history with wildlife began. She specialized in wildlife rehabilitation, work that inspired Steve and Terri Irwin's career journey.

Bindi recognizes that without Lyn, her own life would probably have been different. "My parents opened the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital in memory of my grandmother who was a beautiful wildlife carer," she wrote in a 2019 Facebook post. It was partly because of Lyn that Bindi found her calling. "Today, we have treated over 86,000 sick, injured and orphaned animals giving them a second chance at life. This #WorldAnimalDay let's take a moment to be a little more kind and respectful of all species," she continued.

Even though Bindi virtually has no memories of her grandmother, she still feels the hole she left. "Happy Birthday to my dad and grandmother. I wish so much that I could give you birthday hugs. You are both in my heart today and I hope you are celebrating together," she captioned a February 2018 Instagram post featuring a photo of Steve and Lyn together (seen above).

Despite her close relationship with the majority of her family, Bindi Irwin has experienced a trying relationship with her grandfather, Robert Irwin, Sr. In 2021, she aired her years-long grievances with the older patriarch in a Facebook comment after notably not mentioning him in a Father's Day post. The oldest Irwin sibling detailed the expanse of emotional turmoil that the family member made her endure, from returning gifts to refusing to communicate with her.

"Publicly he continues to claim that he wants to spend time with us while privately my entire life has been psychological abuse from him," she stated in her online comment (via 7News). The turmoil was part of the real reason why Irwin took a break from social media, along with preserving her overall mental health. "I hope everyone remembers to be kind to one another but most of all care for your own mental health," she continued. "I have to choose to care for my own mental health now."

This hasn't stopped the conservationist from trying to contact her estranged family member, though. After her mother, Terri Irwin, learned of Bindi's plans to meet up with her grandfather in 2024, Bindi reportedly skipped out on an important gala event due to the tension, much to the frustration of her mother. "[Bindi has] realized the bitter family feud that has seen them estranged for years has finally taken its toll on her and husband Chandler, and their daughter, Grace Warrior," a source claimed to Radar.

Not all of the loss in Bindi Irwin's life has been of human nature. The Irwin family are active conservationists, and together, Bindi, mother Terri, and brother Robert lead ecological efforts at the Australia Zoo with a menagerie of creatures to showcase to the world. So when a member of their extended animal family passes, it hits the Irwin clan almost as hard as a human death.

Such is the case of Rhino, the family's beloved rhinoceros iguana, who passed away in 2023 after earning a Guinness World Record for being the oldest living iguana. Bindi was the one to make the public announcement, surrounded by her family as she recounted their family pet's life while holding a box of his ashes. "I'm gonna work really hard on not crying, but I'm immediately gonna cry," she said in the announcement (via 7News).

In 2022, Bindi and her family also lost their almost four-decade old echidna (which is also her favorite animal) who they called a "beautiful family member" in a touching Instagram post. The family's commitment to their late patriarch's mission has provided Bindi with what she calls "the most incredible backyard on planet earth," meaning that she never takes the circle of life for granted. "We are one big family here at the zoo, trying to inspire others to get involved and want to make a difference in our world," she told Boy Eats World.

Bindi Irwin hid a scary medical secret from the public eye for more than 10 years, which played into why she was having the hardest time of her life since her dad's death. The young mother has dealt with endometriosis, complicating her overall health and subsequently, impacting her mental health. Even while working, she faced extreme conditions that led her to experience serious fatigue and ongoing pain that often led her to cancel appearances. "I think people must have thought I was just incredibly flaky because I was getting so sick from this disease," she admitted on the "A Life of Greatness" podcast. "I would try to get up, and I really would just throw up. I was in so much pain all the time."

For a time, only her husband, Chandler Powell, her mother, and her brother knew about the diagnosis. She spent many years searching for answers and was led in circles with no sign of improvement for a long time due to doctors not knowing enough about the disease. "Endometriosis is an enormous problem for so many people, and it's not been talked about a lot," she continued. "I was so lucky where I had such a supportive family and they never gave up on me."

With multiple surgeries, Irwin has been able to consistently treat her ailment. She revealed in an Instagram post that she once had a total of 37 endometriosis lesions and a cyst removed in one session. As for why she shares her sometimes harrowing journey with the world, it's to spread the word about how much this condition affects so many women. "More girls and women desperately need answers to their undiagnosed pain," she explained in another Instagram post. "We need to raise awareness and change the narrative for women's health. I see you, your pain is real, and you deserve answers and genuine health care."

What many don't know about Bindi Irwin's relationship is that she and husband Chandler Powell experienced great difficulty in conceiving a child. She has called her daughter, Grace, a "miracle" after her decade-long struggle with endometriosis. But the pressing nature of the public eye, even the well-wishers, to find out if she will have another child has put much stress on the conservationist and her family. She has referred to this invasive question as one that is forced upon women in general. "[It's] heartbreaking because you never know what's going on in someone's life and what's happening behind closed doors," she expressed to People.

But in typical Bindi style, she chooses to look at the silver linings in things and embrace what she's most grateful for. In the face of dealing with her endometriosis, she cherishes her child and the wonder that she represents. "I think that every day I wake up and I look at our beautiful daughter and think she is our tiny little miracle and it makes me cry because we were very, very lucky to have her," she gushed.

She even channeled the blessings of motherhood and combined them with her professional passions to create the children's' picture book, "You are a Wildlife Warrior!: Saving Animals & the Planet." The publishing was the fruition of Irwin's longtime passion for reading, something she said brought her comfort from an early age and continues to do so throughout her medical troubles. "Reading has been one of the biggest parts of my life," she explained in her interview with Parents. "No matter where we were in the world — camping in far north Queensland, catching crocodiles, or in the middle of New York City — my mum would always read us a bedtime story."

In 2025, Bindi Irwin had to be rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix. Both Bindi and mom Terri were scheduled to appear at the annual Steve Irwin Gala in Las Vegas on May 10, but brother Robert stepped in to share details on why his family was absent. "She's going to be okay, but surgery — out of all the things we were ready for, that was not one of them," he told People.

He went on to share that his older sister was prepared to put on a brave face and make her scheduled appearance despite experiencing great pain. But she was given no other option by health professionals. "The surgeon said, 'No, your appendix is going. That thing's gotta come out," he shared with People. "Health has to come first ... She's very sad ... but I know she'll make a speedy recovery."

Once she was well enough to update her fans and friends, Bindi took to social media to reveal that she underwent not just appendix removal surgery, but also had 14 more endometriosis lesions removed, along with repairs done to a hernia she suffered during childbirth. In classic Irwin style, she simultaneously provided her signature positive outlook on next steps. "Thankfully, I am on the road to recovery," she said in the Instagram post. "Rest assured, I'll see you at the next Steve Irwin Gala.