Bindi Irwin pays tribute to dad Steve 10 years after death

Sunday marked the 10th anniversary of “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin’s death, and his daughter Bindi posted a sweet photo of her dad to remember him. 

In the photo, Steve holds an infant Bindi in one hand, smiling. Bindi captioned the image: “You’ll be my hero for my entire existence. I love you more than words can describe.”

Steve died on Sept. 4, 2006 after a stingray attack on the Great Barrier Reef. He was videotaped pulling a poisonous stingray barb from his chest moments before losing consciousness forever. The wildlife expert was shooting footage for a new wildlife project he was making with Bindi. He was buried at the Australia Zoo in Queensland.​

Bindi has become a celebrity in her own right as well, as a contestant on “Dancing with the Stars.” She paid tribute to her father several times on the show, but in November, she performed a particularly emotional routine​ in honor of her dad. Bindi and Derek Hough walked side-by-side over digitally-projected sand during the dance, while the footprints of her dad appeared between them as they progressed. It ended with a photo of a young Bindi with her father. 

“I never really talked about everything that I felt when dad passed away, and I never thought I’d revisit that,” Bindi shared at the time. “But to have Derek there to say, ‘It’s OK, I’m there for you,’ was something that I was so grateful for.”