Tragic Details About Steve Irwin's Widow, Terri, Are Just Heartbreaking

Terri Irwin is the widow of beloved wildlife enthusiast Steve Irwin, who tragically died after being impaled by a stingray while filming a nature documentary in 2006. Since then, Terri and her two children with Steve, Bindi Irwin and Robert Irwin, have worked hard to keep his legacy going strong through their work at the Australia Zoo. "I think I echo everyone, and we've got 500 strong in our team, it's all thanks to mom keeping that legacy going," Robert shared with Us Weekly in a joint May 2025 interview with his mom. "I couldn't imagine how hard that would've been and is every day, but you're just our pillar of strength through it all," he told Terri. "We really, really have it all to thank you for that. So, thank you."

As her son relayed, Terri's leadership has allowed the Irwin family to expand their reach in the wildlife and conservation space, while allowing Bindi and Robert to carry on the legacy of their father, Steve. Unfortunately, Terri's journey has been shaped by tragic circumstances that continue to permeate her life to this day. Between losing her husband, facing the plight of single motherhood, and a litany of life's unpredictable moments, Terri has faced more adversity than most. And yet, she soldiers on. 

Here are a few of her most tragic moments throughout the years.

The most tragic event that Terri Irwin has faced is the death of her beloved husband, Steve Irwin. As the world mourned the death of the man dubbed "The Crocodile Hunter" on September 4, 2006, Terri had to come to terms with losing the love of her life and the father of her children.

Unfortunately, Terri faced the reality of Steve's demise before he actually left the world, as he had an eerie sense he was going to die young. "He had a sense of his own mortality and it was only heightened after he lost his mother in an automobile accident," she shared with Sky News in 2008. "He said, 'I have a feeling something like that's going to happen,' and he was always in a hurry. 'I want to get as much done as I can while I'm here,' and I would always change the subject or ignore it when he brought that up."

Nearly 20 years after Steve's death, Terri's feelings about grief had evolved, however. "When they say time heals all wounds, it doesn't," she said on the "Wiggle Talk" podcast in September 2024. "But eventually, it changes it, and it walks next to you." She continued, "It's always there, and you have to acknowledge your grief, but it's a companion, rather than an all-consuming feeling." She also acknowledged that, while the sun may not shine as brightly as before, it will still shine over your life.

Steve Irwin may have cheated death many times, but a fatal encounter with a stingray sent him to an early grave, making Terri Irwin a single mother of their two small children.

At the time of Steve's death, Bindi Irwin, the oldest sibling, was 8 years old, but little Robert was barely 2. In 2007, Terri opened up about navigating parenthood without her better half. "I think it's really starting to sink in with Bindi that Steve isn't coming home," she shared with The Sun. "That is really starting to hit her. It's sinking in more and more each day. That he's not around is evident in even the smallest things at home." Terri also revealed that when Steve was around, he was good at giving her a "breather" when things with the kids got stressful.

What's even sadder is the fact that Terri and Steve planned on having a third baby before his untimely death, according to an interview she gave to E! News in 2017.

Any parent knows that whatever affects their children affects them. And while Terri Irwin has seemingly been blessed with great health, she's had to watch her daughter, Bindi Irwin, suffer through a couple of pretty serious health issues over the years: endometriosis, which is a condition in which tissue from the uterus grows outside of it, causing complications, and a ruptured appendix. And while Bindi had been dealing with the former for years, she had to contend with both conditions at the same time in May 2025 when a ruptured appendix forced her to have a long, complicated surgery to repair both conditions.

Taking to Instagram, the "Dancing With The Stars" alum explained that, while undergoing surgery to remove her appendix, doctors also removed several lesions caused by endometriosis from her abdomen. "My appendix was removed, along with another 14 lesions (after having 37 endometriosis lesions and a cyst removed two years ago)," she wrote alongside a video of herself in the hospital. "I also had a repair to a large hernia I acquired through childbirth four years ago." Fortunately, Bindi's surgery went well, and she's since made a full and complete recovery.

With that said, like her mom, Bindi has also faced other tragic circumstances in life.