Bindi Irwin pays tribute to Late Dad Steve Irwin on the 14th anniversary of his death

Bindi Irwin remembered her late father, ‘Crocodile Hunter,’ Steve Irwin’s legacy, 14 years after his tragic death.

Bindi was just 8 years old when Steve, who was 44 at the time, suffered a fatal stingray wound on Sept. 4, 2006. Steve, who is well recognized as a legendary Australian wildlife hero, was filming a series called “Ocean’s Deadliest” when the unfortunate incident took place.

“You’re always in my heart”

Bindi, who is now 22 years old, recently announced that she’s pregnant with her first child. The conservationist took to Instagram with a nostalgic throwback photo of her and her beloved dad captured at the beach. The mom-to-be lovingly captioned the photo, “You’re always in my heart.”

“I feel that I have a choice: celebrate love or struggle with grief. I choose love”

Steve’s widow and the mother of his children, Terri Irwin also took to social media to fondly remember her late husband. She tweeted, “This is a particularly poignant moment in time for me. Today marks 14 years since I lost Steve, after 14 wonderful years of marriage. I feel that I have a choice: celebrate love or struggle with grief. I choose love.”

“I don’t want daddy’s passion to ever end”

Weeks after Steve’s unexpected demise, thousands of admirers gathered at the Australia Zoo to pay their respects and mourn the loss of their Crocodile Hunter. Bindi delivered a moving eulogy, in which she called Steve her “hero.”

“I don’t want daddy’s passion to ever end,” she shared at the time, adding, “I want to help endangered wildlife just like he did.”

And that’s exactly what the family did! 14 years after his death, the Irwins, who are also conservationists, have continued to keep his memory alive. Bindi, her brother, Robert Irwin, mom Terri, as well as husband, Chandler Powell, have continued to oversee the Australia Zoo. As well as share their lives with their show, “Crikey! It’s the Irwins.”

“Baby Wildlife Warrior due 2021”

Looking toward the future, Bindi and husband Chandler Powell are preparing to welcome their first child together.

Bindi took to Instagram on August 11 to share the happy news. “Baby Wildlife Warrior due 2021,” she captioned a photo of her and Powell holding a tiny Australia Zoo uniform. “Chandler and I are proud to announce that we’re expecting! It’s an honour to share this special moment in our lives with you. Though I’m still in my first trimester, we really want you to be part of our journey from the beginning of this new life chapter. We couldn’t wait to share the news as this beautiful little being has become the most important part of our lives. Your support means the world to us. Please let me know your best advice and send good vibes & prayers to our little sweetheart. Love & light. ❤️.”

“I wish he could have been there to see the most special day in his daughter’s life”

News of Bindi’s pregnancy comes just a few months after she married Powell in a small private ceremony at the Australia Zoo.

“It is amazing to have gotten married. We are so grateful to take on this new era as a married couple, but it has been a really funny time,” Bindi gushed.

Terri Irwin revealed that at Bindi’s wedding, her son Robert walked his sister down the aisle wearing khaki to honor their dad. “I know Steve would have worn khaki to Bindi & Chandler’s wedding, too,” Terri Irwin wrote on social media at the time. “I wish he could have been there to see the most special day in his daughter’s life. We miss him so much.” Robert Irwin added at the time: “I know that Dad was with us.”

“This is probably the busiest honeymoon in history, along with the weirdest honeymoon ever”

The couple even revealed that they had the weirdest honeymoon ever. The pair were forced to cancel their honeymoon to help with Australia Zoo’s $400,000 weekly payroll crisis and the coronavirus pandemic.

“Our honeymoon certainly wasn’t what we had originally planned. We spent our honeymoon doing our best to care for our animals and zoo team hoping that things would get brighter,” Bindi revealed. “Our first few months of marriage have been a whirlwind to say the least. But It feels so much better to tackle the world together as husband and wife”

“This is probably the busiest honeymoon in history, along with the weirdest honeymoon ever,” Chandler quipped.