I came home from Cinecon last night to find out about Steve Irwin's tragic death at 44 .Two little ones and a wife left behind. Unbelievably tragic and sad for his family.

I was an amateur herpetologist who kept all manner of creatures as a kid. Over the years, I would frequently become exasperated over a number of Irwin's irresponsible and stupid stunts with wild animals that I thought he did solely for publicity.

However, Irwin was a sincere and unique person, extremely knowledgable who did terrific work with conservation and by teaching another generation about animals and nature.

Steve Irwin will be missed.