The Queensland Police Service said in a statement that Irwin collapsed after being stung at Batt Reef, Low Isles off Port Douglas about 11:00 am local time. He had been filming a documentary.

    "Steve was hit by a stingray in the chest," said local diving operator Steve Edmondson, whose Poseidon boats were out on the Great Barrier Reef when the accident occurred.

    "He probably died from a cardiac arrest from the injury," he said.

    Police said after he was attacked, Irwin's crew called for medical treatment immediately and the Queensland Rescue Helicopter responded with a doctor and paramedic on board. But Irwin was dead before they arrived as he had a puncture wound to the left side of his chest.

    Irwin is famous for his enthusiasm for wildlife and his catchcry "Crikey!" in his television program Crocodile Hunter, which was first broadcast in Australia in 1992 and has aired around the world on the Discovery channel.

    However, Irwin also has received some negative publicity in recent years. Specifically, in January 2004, he stunned onlookers at the Australia Zoo reptile park by holding his one-month-old baby while feeding a snapping crocodile during a wildlife show. He tucked the infant under one arm while tossing the 13-foot reptile a piece of meat with the other.

    Later that year, he was criticized for disturbing whales, seals and penguins while filming a documentary in Antarctica.

    Irwin was also seen as a vocal critic of wildlife hunts in Australia. The Australian federal government recently dropped plans to allow crocodile safaris for wealthy tourists in the Northern Territory following his objections. Enditem

    (Agencies)