Steve Irwin’s cameraman shares his final words after fatal incident as kids pay tribute on anniversary of his death

The world has come together to pay tribute to Steve Irwin on the 20th anniversary of his tragic death, including his cameraman, who emotionally recounted his final moments.

Friday (4 September) marks two whole decades since the beloved Australian wildlife conservationist lost his life while doing what he loved.

Irwin died on 4 September 2006, aged 44, after a stingray fatally pierced his chest while he was filming underwater for a documentary at the Great Barrier Reef.

He left behind his wife of 14 years, Terri, and their two children, Robert and Bindi, now 22 and 28, who were just two and eight years old when the tragedy occurred.

The siblings have today taken to social media to pay tribute to their ‘superhero dad’ and insist that his ‘legacy is forever’.

To commemorate the anniversary, Irwin’s cameraman and producer, Justin Lyons, was among those who appeared in a documentary special called Steve Irwin: A Wild Life, which was released on Wednesday (2 September).

It's been two decades since Steve Irwin's tragic death (Handout/Getty Images)

Recounting the tragic morning twenty years ago, he recalled: “Waking up, nobody had any idea what was in store for us that day.”

He explained how the team had been filming off the coast of Far North Queensland at Batt Reef, targeting tiger sharks while aboard Irwin’s boat.

They decided to look for other marine life while waiting for the sharks to arrive, and spotted a bull ray - an animal they’d filmed with hundreds of times before.

Irwin and Lyons both got in the water with a single underwater camera, and the producer filmed the conservationist swimming alongside and behind it.

Lyons said: “He swims up, swims over the top of it. It doesn’t move, but as he’s directly over the top of it, of course, it thought he was a tiger shark, and started stabbing madly towards him with its tail.

The wildlife conservationist died aged 44 in 2006 (Handout/Getty Images)

“The water just boiled. I couldn’t see anything that was going on. Bubbles and thrashing, and then all of a sudden it stopped.”

The water calmed, so he continued to film, which was when Irwin shot out of the water, which was full of blood, and shouted: “It’s punctured me lung!”

Lyons recalled how he dragged Irwin into the boat and saw that blood was pouring out of a gash in his chest.

He recounted: “He’s conscious, and he says to me, looks me right in the eye, and he says, ‘I’m dying.”

For 45 minutes, the crew performed CPR as the boat sped towards Low Island to get help, but when they reached parademics at the beach, heartbreakingly, he was declared dead within 10 seconds.

“It was like absolute despair,” Lyons said, “I remembered thinking my whole world’s just changed, just like that and it was never the same.”

Robert and Bindi’s tributes

Robert was two when his dad died, while Bindi was eight (Instagram/robertirwin)

Irwin’s children Robert and Bindi have both paid tribute on social media to mark the 20-year anniversary of their father’s death.

Robert simply wrote: “Your legacy is forever,” alongside a picture of him as a baby, being held by his dad.

Bindi opted for a longer message, as she penned: “20 years ago, today, the world lost the most passionate and dedicated wildlife conservationist. Our family lost our superhero. My mum lost the love of her life; my brother and I lost the greatest dad.

“Grief never truly leaves us; we walk alongside it every day. Where there is enormous grief, there is even greater love. In the last 20 years, I have watched the world mourn my dad with our family.”

She continued: “I always thought that my dad’s legacy is wildlife conservation; it turns out, his legacy is love. For our planet and for each other.

“I have a 5-year-old daughter who watches his documentaries every morning. She feels utterly loved by her “grandpa crocodile” without ever having met him.

“My dad left a lasting impact so poignant that it will ripple out for generations to come. I believe with my whole heart that his love will live on forever. In all of us. In every kindness we show to the Earth. And that is a life and legacy worth celebrating.

“Dad, I love you with my whole heart. Thank you for being our guardian angel. And most of all, thank you for watching over my daughter now, too. She loves you so much. We all do.”