Steve Irwin expected sudden death, wife says

LOS ANGELES - It’s been over a year since Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin was tragically killed by the barb of a stingray.

Steve’s wife, Terri Irwin, is pressing on in Steve’s memory, sharing poignant moments from his life in the Animal Planet special, “In Steve’s Footsteps,” airing this Sunday.

She also shared them with Access Hollywood, including sad details about how Steve knew his life would end at a young age.

“He had this strange feeling, especially after losing his mother in a car accident. He said ‘I just have a feeling it’s going to be something like that, something sudden.’

“It was bizarre,” she continued. “He wasn’t sad, or awful about it. He took it on that ‘Come on, come on, come on! We’ve got to get this done. I don’t know how long I’m going to be here. Let’s make it happen!’”

Steve’s sudden death left Terri and her two young children, 9-year-old Bindi and 3-year-old Bob, reeling with grief, but Terri says keeping Steve’s memory alive is the best way to cope.

“If I put Steve’s image away, to me, it would be doing a disservice to everything he stood for,” she said. “It’s like if your hero dies, what he or she stood for shouldn’t.”

“I don’t want my daddy’s passion to ever end,” Bindi added. “I want to help endangered wildlife just like he did.”

Part of 9-year-old Bindi’s healing process has been following in her dad’s footsteps, but some criticized Terri for letting Bindi step into the public eye so soon after her father’s death.

“She’s not a child who goes on auditions,” Terri explained. “She’s got one gig, she’s never been turned down for a show because she’s got one show. So for her, this growing up in front of the camera. ... It’s been very natural.”

Being a single parent is not what Terri envisioned for her life, but she says another walk down the aisle is unlikely.

“Steve always said that to me, ‘If anything happens to me, I want you to know you can get married again.’ And I think how do you follow that? I mean, we connected emotionally, spiritually, physically. He was hot in the cot,” Terri said. “I have to tell you, what Steve and I had is just magical and it was that happily ever after and we had it.”

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