I too was very shocked with this news and found out the hard way, I work at Channel Ten and am in charge of the picture on your telly at home, I got a phone call to run a News crawl across the screen, Steve Irwin - Dead.
I had to work really hard at that moment and it was like hearing my brother had died.
One thing I thought was just amazing about this man was he was buying "Endangered" land - meaning he was buying vast acres of land that was high risk of development and declaring them to be nature reserves and exclusively for the use of animals. He was sustaining Australia's native wildlife, where others have built highways through Koalah habitats then suck up a "Call 1800 ROAD KILL" sign to help the native animals.
Imagine if everyone that was sucessful chose to do something similer.
He was a great man and a TRUE Australian. His life, and the amazing things one man can do to change things will not be forgotten.