Comments from as far afield as Hong Kong, the Netherlands and South Africa have been received, all mourning the loss of a man who died before he should have and in the most shocking way.

The Russell family from Georgia in the US wrote: “God Bless Steve Irwin and his family. I am sitting here in tears because I feel like I have lost a friend. My kids have grown up watching Steve and all of his wonderful animal stories. Steve was such a great warrior for animal rights and he will be missed so dearly by so many.”

Readers wrote of their shock, many expressing how they could just not believe that a man who loved animals and who was one of their greatest advocates, had died in an animal attack.

“Crikey!” Irwin’s famous catchcry was echoed by readers who spoke of Irwin as “my boy”, “an Australian legend” and” unique”.

Almost all thanked Irwin for his passionate defence of the environment and for educating the world in his own way about the wildlife that inhabited it.

“Crikey Steve! What a great Aussie you were mate. What you did for educating kids and adults around conservation was brilliant. What a huge loss to this world you are. Our sympathy to Terri, Bindi and Bob, ” said Karynne of Newcastle.

By early evening, more than 2200 people had written to News.com.au to express their feelings and share their memories of Irwin and his life. It has been one of the biggest and fastest responses to a story on our site.

“He was such a breath of fresh air, wearing his passions shamelessly on his sleeve, and inviting us to share in his enthusiasm” – Laurie Maynard of North Carolina, US.