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STEEVE ERWIN DiED2007-11-24 2:03:06

OMG I DIDNT KNOW :( WELL I GUESS IT WAS BOUND TO HAPPEN

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SYDNEY (AFP) - World-famous Australian "crocodile hunter" and television environmentalist Steve Irwin has been killed by a stingray blow to the chest while filming a documentary on the Great Barrier Reef.

The larger-than-life Irwin, 44, known for his fearlessly enthusiastic handling of even the deadliest of wildlife, was killed when a stingray barb punctured his heart during underwater filming off northeastern Australia.

"He came over the top of a stingray and the stingray's barb went up and went into his chest and put a hole into his heart," said the ebullient Irwin's longtime producer John Stainton, who was with him at the time on Monday.

"It's likely that he possibly died instantly when the barb hit him, and I don't think that he . felt any pain," a tearful Stainton told reporters in the city of Cairns. "He died doing what he loved best."

Police and officials at Irwin's zoo confirmed his death in the freak incident that took place at about 11:00 am (0100 GMT) off the coast of Port Douglas in the northeastern Australian state of Queensland.

Irwin brought to the surface unconscious and underwent cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, Stainton said.

He was evacuated from his research vessel by helicopter but ambulance service officials said he had suffered a puncture wound to the left side of his chest and was pronounced dead on the scene.