Bindi Irwin Pens Touching Tribute to ‘Grandpa Crocodile’ Steve Irwin 16 Years After ‘Crocodile Hunter’ Star’s Death

Bindi Irwin is paying tribute to “Grandpa Crocodile” Steve Irwin as she and her brother Robert Irwin honored their late father Sunday on Australia’s Father’s Day, which was also the 16th anniversary of the Crocodile Hunter star’s death. The 24-year-old Crikey! It’s the Irwins star took to Instagram to share a photo of herself as a child with her father with a touching caption.

“Grandpa Crocodile, I know you would’ve been the most incredible grandfather because you were such an extraordinary dad. Thank you for being an amazing guardian angel for [17-month-old daughter Grace],” Bindi wrote, using the nickname she and her husband Chandler Powell use for the late Animal Planet star.

Bindi’s younger brother Robert, 18, also shared a photo with his father from his childhood on Instagram. “It’s Father’s Day today in Australia, and I am sending my love to those who are missing their dad today. I cherish all the good times with my dad and feel grateful to be able to keep his memory and legacy alive,” he wrote in the caption.

On Sept. 4, 2006, Steve was fatally stung by a stingray and passed away at just 44 years old. In the years since, the Irwins have made sure to honor his legacy as a Wildlife Warrior, with Bindi and Powell even bestowing daughter Grace Warrior with a meaningful middle name when she was born in March 2021. “Our graceful warrior is the most beautiful light,” the Dancing With the Stars alum wrote on Instagram shortly after the birth of her daughter. “Grace is named after my great-grandmother, and relatives in Chandler’s family dating back to the 1700s.”

“Her middle names, Warrior Irwin, are a tribute to my dad and his legacy as the most incredible Wildlife Warrior. Her last name is Powell, and she already has such a kind soul just like her dad,” she continued. Since then, Bindi has been sure to keep her father’s memory alive with her little girl, sharing a video last month of Grace pointing at a photo of her “Grandpa Crocodile” at the Australia Zoo. “Tears in my eyes as I share this video,” Bindi wrote in the caption. “We call my mum and dad, Bunny and Grandpa Crocodile with Grace. She loves them (and koalas) dearly. On every zoo walk she searches for pictures of her grandparents and it is beyond beautiful.”