{"id":174235,"date":"2025-10-02T02:38:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T02:38:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/174235\/"},"modified":"2025-10-02T02:38:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T02:38:08","slug":"leonardo-dicaprio-pays-tribute-to-dear-friend-and-hero-dame-jane-goodall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/174235\/","title":{"rendered":"Leonardo DiCaprio pays tribute to ‘dear friend’ and ‘hero’ Dame Jane Goodall"},"content":{"rendered":"

The conservationist, who was the world’s leading expert on chimpanzee behaviour, died from “natural causes” in California, The Jane Goodall Institute said in a statement on WednesdayPaige Ingram<\/a> and Hannah Roberts PA Senior Entertainment Reporter<\/p>\n

23:33, 01 Oct 2025<\/p>\n

\"DameDame Jane Goodall, Leonardo DiCaprio and Stevie Wonder<\/p>\n

Oscar-winning actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio<\/a> has led the tributes to his “dear friend” and personal “hero”, Dame Jane Goodall, following her passing at the age of 91.<\/p>\n

The world-renowned conservationist, who was the leading authority on chimpanzee behaviour, passed away from “natural causes” in California, according to a statement released by The Jane Goodall Institute on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Tributes have been flooding in for the ethologist, who began her groundbreaking research on free-living chimpanzees in Tanzania in 1960, a time when it was virtually unheard of for a woman to venture into the African wilderness.<\/p>\n

\"Jane(Image: PA Archive\/PA Images)<\/p>\n

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Hollywood star DiCaprio took to Instagram<\/a> on Wednesday to say that “we all must carry the torch” for Dame Jane and protect “our one shared home”.<\/p>\n

The Titanic actor, aged 50, posted photos of himself with Dame Jane, who was appointed a UN Messenger of Peace in 2002, a full 12 years before DiCaprio received the same prestigious title.<\/p>\n

“Today we have lost a true hero for the planet, an inspiration to millions, and a dear friend,” DiCaprio wrote. He added: “Jane Goodall dedicated her life to protecting our planet and giving a voice to the wild animals and the ecosystems they inhabit.<\/p>\n

Content cannot be displayed without consent<\/p>\n

“Her pioneering research on chimpanzees in Tanzania revolutionised our understanding of how our closest relatives live, socialise and think – reminding us that we are deeply connected not only to chimpanzees and the other great apes, but to all life.<\/p>\n

“For decades, Jane travelled the globe with boundless energy, awakening generations to the wonder of the natural world<\/a>. She spoke directly to the next generation, instilling hope, responsibility and the belief that every individual can make a difference. She inspired millions to care, to act, and to hope. She never stopped.<\/p>\n

“My deepest condolences to her family. Please join me in honouring her legacy by supporting @janegoodallinst and other conservation groups which she cared about. My last message to Jane was simple: ‘You are my hero’. Now, we all must carry the torch for her in protecting our one shared home.”<\/p>\n

Follow our live blog for the latest updates by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The conservationist, who was the world’s leading expert on chimpanzee behaviour, died from “natural causes” in California, The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":174236,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[40886,6491,96,6443,77991,77842,19506,28274,1160,56,54,55,4288],"class_list":{"0":"post-174235","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-bbc-news","9":"tag-celebrities","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-greenpeace","12":"tag-ingrid-newkirk","13":"tag-jane-goodall","14":"tag-justin-trudeau","15":"tag-leonardo-dicaprio","16":"tag-richard-branson","17":"tag-uk","18":"tag-united-kingdom","19":"tag-unitedkingdom","20":"tag-virgin"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174235","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=174235"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174235\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/174236"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=174235"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=174235"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=174235"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}