Steve Irwin’s close pal John Stainton has admitted the beloved crocodile hunter made "very, very weird" speech before he died as fans mourn 16 years since his tragic death.
The famed animal lover and conservationist died aged 44 after a stingray's barb pierced his chest as he was diving off the coast of Australia while filming an underwater documentary film called Ocean's Deadliest.
Appearing on the I’ve Got News For You podcast, Irwin’s friend and The Crocodile Hunter producer John, opened up about filming the documentary where he witnessed the death of his close friend.
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Appearing on Australian podcast I've Got News For You, John explained that a couple days before the documentary began filming, Steve made a speech to the crew, and according to John "it was really weird."
“A couple of days before we started the show, he made a little speech to all the crew that were up there catching crocs for his research trip which I joined at the end with our crew to do the deadliest movie. And it was really weird,” he said.
“He was sort of thanking them all for being who they were and for helping him. It was like a ‘finale’ speech. Very weird,” Stainton said.
John also remarked that he has a weird feeling about the shoot that day and even tried to prevent the shoot from happening, but was refused by The Discovery Channel since everyone had already been paid.
He said: "I had this idea on arriving that something was wrong, but it's just life, you never know what things are going to do to you."
John also revealed that he’d had a “premonition” of his own death ahead of the trip — inspiring him to write a living will and undergo multiple medical checks before filming.
“I just had this premonition in January that would be the last day of my life this year. I just had this really weird feeling … So much so that I went and got tests and CAT scans. I thought ‘I have to have something wrong with me’ but nothing came back.
“I even made a will that year in June before we went on the trip,” he added.
News of Irwin’s death devastated the world, which had come to revere the tirelessly enthusiastic animal lover and daredevil during his 10 years as host of The Crocodile Hunter and its spin-offs.
During a press conference in the wake of Irwin’s death, Stainton had said that his friend died doing “what he loved.”
Previously, cameraman Justin Lyons, the only person with Steve when he was attacked, recalled what happened after the incident, saying Steve looked up at him and said: "I'm dying."
Irwin left behind his wife Terri and their two kids, Bindi, now 23, and Robert, now 17.
Justin even recalled calling the family to tell them the tragic news. He said: "I can remember that night, I couldn't sleep. I think when you're, as anyone that will know when they're in a state of grief grieving and sadness and shock, that you have to do what you have to do."
John also spoke at a press conference after Steve's passing, announcing: "He died what he loved doing best. He left this world in a happy and peaceful state of mind. He would have said, 'Crocs rule.'"
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