Dr. Jane Goodall, the world-renowned ethologist who forever changed humanity’s understanding of chimpanzees, has passed away at the age of 91.
She passed away from natural causes in California on October 1, while on her latest speaking tour.
Loved worldwide for her compassion and groundbreaking discoveries, Goodall leaves behind a legacy that bridged science, activism, and, in a lot of ways, hope.
Goodall’s approach to studying chimpanzees was revolutionary
Image credits: Erik (HASH) Hersman/Flickr
When Goodall first traveled to Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park in 1960, she was just 26 years old and had no formal scientific training.
Despite this, she was able to earn the trust of chimpanzees in ways no researcher had before. She ended up learning how to communicate with chimpanzees, even embracing, playing, patting and kissing them, according to BBC News.
She observed their social bonds, playfulness, and even tool use, famously documenting a chimpanzee using a stick to extract termites from a mound.
At the time, science believed only humans had the intelligence to make and use tools. Her observations then shattered that assumption and changed evolutionary biology.
Image credits: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images
National Geographic placed her on its 1965 cover, launching her into international recognition.
For more than six decades, she continued her fieldwork, becoming not just a scientist but also a global conservationist and one of the most recognizable voices for animals and the environment.
One Native American tribe affectionately named her a “sister of Mother Earth.”
She also received a damehood, the title of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE), in 2004, and earlier this year, she was awarded the Medal of Freedom at the White House by outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden.
Goodall’s advocacy and global influence will live on for a long time
Image credits: Apic/Getty Images
Goodall’s scientific work evolved into a lifelong mission to protect forests, chimpanzees, and biodiversity. In a BBC interview in late 2024, she warned bluntly: “The sixth great extinction is happening.”
She emphasized the need for urgent action against deforestation, fossil fuel dependency, and industrial farming.
“Trees have to grow to a certain size before they can really do their work. If we don’t get together and impose tough regulations on what people are able to do to the environment, if we don’t rapidly move away from fossil fuel, if we don’t put a stop to industrial farming… the future ultimately is doomed,” she said during the interview.
Through her institute, she spearheaded tree-planting initiatives, planting almost two million trees in just five years.
She also established youth programs worldwide to promote environmental stewardship. Even in her 90s, she maintained a demanding global speaking tour, though she admitted to the BBC in 2024 that she was “a little bit exhausted.”
Goodall’s personal life was shaped by love and loss
Image credits: U.S. Embassy Uganda
Beyond her public role, Goodall’s personal life is intertwined with her work. In 1964, she married Dutch photographer Hugo van Lawick, whom she met in Tanzania.
Their son, Hugo Eric Louis, was born in 1967 and spent his early years at the Gombe research site while his parents worked side by side.
The marriage ended in divorce after a decade, a split she later described as gradual but painful.
“He had to go on with his career, and he got some money to do films on the Serengeti, and I couldn’t leave Gombe… I couldn’t leave Gombe, and so it slowly drifted apart. And it was sad. I definitely wish we could have carried on with that marriage because it was a good one,” she reflected earlier this year.
She later married Tanzanian parks director Derek Bryceson, but tragedy struck when he passed in 1980, leaving her widowed.
The world will remember her enduring mission
In her final days, Goodall remained committed to her mission. Just a week before her passing, she appeared on stage in New York City.
Days later, she gave a podcast interview about her work. Her calendar still included stops in California, Washington, to name a few.
The Jane Goodall Institute paid tribute, writing: “Dr. Goodall’s discoveries as an ethologist revolutionized science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world.”
The United Nations has also stated that “the UN family mourns the loss of Dr Jane Goodall.”
“The scientist, conservationist, and UN Messenger of Peace worked tirelessly for our planet and all its inhabitants, leaving an extraordinary legacy for humanity and nature,” the UN noted.
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