Jane Goodall, the world’s leading expert on chimpanzees and a tireless advocate for wildlife, has died at 91, prompting tributes from around the globe—including a heartfelt message from Leonardo DiCaprio. The Jane Goodall Institute confirmed she passed away of natural causes on October 1, 2025, while on a speaking tour in California.
Goodall’s groundbreaking journey began in 1960, when she traveled from England to what is now Tanzania to study wild chimpanzees—a bold step for a young woman in a male-dominated field. Her patient observations in Gombe fundamentally reshaped science’s understanding of our closest relatives, documenting behaviors that included tool use, social bonds, and individual personalities. She later earned a Ph.D. in ethology from Cambridge and went on to found the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977, championing conservation and youth engagement for more than six decades.
Across her career, Goodall appeared in dozens of documentaries and media projects, bringing her fieldwork and message of hope to a broad audience. Even in her nineties, she remained on the road, delivering lectures and launching initiatives designed to inspire action on behalf of animals and the planet. Her final days reflected that commitment: she was traveling in the U.S. to speak when she died, and her institute’s memorial statement emphasized both the extent of her life’s work and the urgency she felt to protect the natural world.
DiCaprio—who, like Goodall, has served as a United Nations Messenger of Peace—shared an emotional remembrance that highlighted her influence on generations. On Instagram, he praised her scientific legacy, global advocacy, and the hope she instilled in young people, urging followers to support the Jane Goodall Institute and continue the work she started.
“Jane Goodall devoted her life to protecting our planet and giving a voice to the wild animals and the ecosystems they inhabit.”
“Her groundbreaking research on chimpanzees in Tanzania transformed our understanding of how our closest relatives live, socialize, and think… She inspired millions to care, to act, and to hope.”
“Join me in supporting the Jane Goodall Institute… My last message to Jane was simple: ‘You are my hero.’”
The two had recently collaborated on “Howl,” a forthcoming live-action film that tells a survival story from the perspectives of a dog and a wolf—an effort that reflects Goodall’s belief in storytelling as a catalyst for empathy and change. DiCaprio and Goodall served as executive producers on the project, which attracted industry attention throughout 2024 and 2025.
News outlets and conservation groups marked Goodall’s passing with extensive retrospectives, recalling the moment she first reported chimpanzees using sticks and blades of grass to “fish” termites from mounds—an observation that upended the then-prevailing notion that tool use was uniquely human. Her humane approach—naming her subjects and documenting their bonds and emotional lives—helped narrow the perceived gap between humans and other animals.
In recent years, Goodall’s message leaned even more toward urgency and hope. She spoke often about the role of youth in driving environmental progress and recorded final public messages encouraging people to act, not surrender, in the face of climate and biodiversity crises. As tributes poured in, many echoed her core belief: that every individual can make a difference.
The Jane Goodall Institute said she died of natural causes; while she had spoken in interviews about living with prosopagnosia, there was no indication of any life-threatening illness. She is survived by her son, Hugo Eric Louis van Lawick, and three grandchildren. Her life’s work—spanning research, advocacy, education, and global storytelling—leaves a legacy that will continue to shape conservation and inspire future generations.
