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Dr. Jane Goodall, the British scientist whose studies and advocacy of wildlife inspired audiences worldwide, has died at the age of 91, her eponymous Goodall Institute confirmed.
In a post on social media, the official Goodall Institute account reported that Dr. Goodall “died of natural causes in Los Angeles,” where she was on a speaking tour.
In addition to her pivotal work as a primatologist — which inspired a Hollywood movie chronicling her work, Gorillas in the Mist — Goodall remained a staunch advocate for environmental protections, the preservation of wildlife, and the promotion of biodiversity.
Her most prominent legacy is her establishment of the longest-running chimpanzee study in Gombe National Park in Tanzania, which she launched in 1960 and has continued to this day. Among her many accolades, perhaps Goodall’s most groundbreaking discovery came in Gombe when she observed and recorded chimpanzees making and using tools — a behavior previously believed to belong exclusively to humans.
Dr. Goodall in Budapest; (photo/Shutterstock)
As her work stretched on, Goodall continued to draw closer and closer links between humans, chimps, and the natural world.
Goodall has been recognized throughout her life as a luminary in the advancement of humanity’s understanding of its place in the world. Among her many awards, Goodall was awarded the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1995 by Queen Elizabeth II, she was named the messenger of peace by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in 2002, and just this year, she received the Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden for “making America better.”
Goodall is survived by her son, Hugo Eric Louis van Lawick. To learn more about Goodall’s life and work, and to support her life’s work, visit the Goodall Institute.