Something I had not thought of before my 14 year old daughter brought it up: Steve Irwin is the first "personality" relevent to her generation to die.
People of various ages recall where they were when hearing about ML King, JFK, RFK, then Janis, Jim, Jimi, Kurt Cobain, and Tupac.
What an incredible statement for this generation to have the Wildlife Warrior as their first indelible moment.