Sad fortune Steve Irwin left his wife and kids as they went into debt

Wildlife warriorSteve Irwin became a global household name thanks to his passion for conservation and getting up close to crocodiles. Despite his huge success, his family were left struggling in more ways than one when he died.

Steve worked hard, having starred in popular series The Crocodile Hunter, Croc Files, and The Crocodile Hunter Diaries. He also landed his very own film, The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, which was a box office hit grossing in an impressive $33.4 million.

However, at the time of his death Steve left his wife Terri, 61, and their children Robert, 21, and Bindi, 27, a surprisingly small inheritance. It comes after Sir Michael Palin says he is preparing for the end of his life in sad update.

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Instead of handing down riches to his beloved family, Steve's life insurance policy totalled $200,000 (£98,000), according to realestate.com.au. The figure may be surprising to fans considering Steve's fame, but he invested money into Australia Zoo.

Proving how deep rooted his love for conservation was, Steve reinvested most of his earnings into the Queensland animal facility, which Robert and Bindi are expected to inherit one day.

Last year, Steve's widow Terri revealed how his death left the family in a tough financial situation. She revealed the majority of money Steve made went straight back into his conservation and keeping Australia Zoo open.

"Everything was reinvested into conservation work," Terri told the Australian Financial Review. "I was in debt... and Steve's life insurance, I think, was the sum total of $200,000, which didn't even cover half of one week's payroll."

Steve had established a 10-year business plan before his death, which helped his family massively. Terri explained he made it "ironclad" to prevent "some crazy person sweep in from some distant family connection and try to take everything."

Steve tragically died at the age 44 when he was fatally stung by a stingray in September 2006. A proud dad of two, Irwin’s son and daughter were just three and eight years old at the time.

His children have been carrying on their father's legacy through conservation work. Last year, they marked the 18th anniversary of Steve's death with emotional tributes online.

Daughter Bindi shared a snap of her famous dad holding a huge crocodile as she shared: "It is an honour to help continue the work you started. Your legacy lives on in our family, our team, Australia Zoo, Wildlife Warriors and The Crocodile Hunter Lodge. Hope to make you proud."

Robert also shared his own post featuring a snap of Steve looking nonchalant as he held a film camera on his shoulders while filming a fully grown crocodile. Steve was sitting in a little boat to keep safe as the crocodile leapt up from the water.

Robert simply captioned the photo with a heart emoji and a crocodile emoji. He had previously shared home video footage of his famous dad exploring the Irwins' Australia Zoo on a motorcycle, leaving fans emotional.

Robert said: "Some of my fondest and earliest memories were on that bike. It brings back so many memories. Every time I get on that bike and ride the same route around Australia Zoo he did, it means so much that this piece of machinery that he loved and used every day."

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