Dr. Jane Goodall passed away in Los Angeles on Wednesday. She was 91 years old and in the middle of yet another speaking tour. Goodall was a brilliant scientist, anthropologist and conservationist who revolutionized how humans study animals, especially primates. From the NY Times obituary:

Jane Goodall, one of the world’s most revered conservationists, who earned scientific stature and global celebrity by chronicling the distinctive behavior of wild chimpanzees in East Africa — primates that made and used tools, ate meat, held rain dances and engaged in organized warfare — died on Wednesday in Los Angeles. She was 91.

Her death, while on a speaking tour, was confirmed by the Jane Goodall Institute, whose U.S. headquarters are in Washington, D.C.

The British-born Dr. Goodall was 29 in the summer of 1963 when National Geographic magazine published her 7,500-word, 37-page account of the lives of primates she had observed in the Gombe Stream Chimpanzee Reserve in what is now Tanzania. The National Geographic Society had been financially supporting her field studies there. The article, with photographs by Hugo van Lawick, a Dutch wildlife photographer whom she later married, also described Dr. Goodall’s struggles to overcome disease, predators and frustration as she tried to get close to the chimps, working from a primitive research station along the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika.

On the scientific merits alone, her discoveries about how wild chimpanzees raised their young, established leadership, socialized and communicated broke new ground and attracted immense attention and respect among researchers. Stephen Jay Gould, the evolutionary biologist and science historian, said her work with chimpanzees “represents one of the Western world’s great scientific achievements.”

[From The NY Times]

Dr. Goodall was one of the rare “celebrity scientists,” someone whose work made her a pop culture figure and a household name. Her work and her speaking tours attracted celebrities, royals and politicians. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex released a statement honoring Dr. Goodall’s memory:

“Dr. Jane Goodall DBE was a visionary humanitarian, scientist, friend to the planet, and friend to us,” Prince Harry, 41, and Meghan, 44, said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. “Her commitment to changing lives extends beyond what the world saw, and also to what we personally felt. She held our son, Archie, when he was first born, and showered love and care to those who were privileged to know her. She will be deeply missed.”

[From People]

I’m including some photos of Harry’s event with Dr. Goodall in 2019, which was lovely and they seemed to love spending time together. She was a giant in all ways except height! What a lovely soul. (PS… just this morning, Prince William released a statement about Dr. Goodall as well – “Africa is MINE!” vibes.)

The world has lost an extraordinary voice with the passing of Dame Jane Goodall.

Her boundless curiosity, compassion and pioneering spirit transformed our understanding of the natural world. She challenged us all to make a difference and inspired me and countless others to work…

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) October 2, 2025

July 30, 2019. “The Duke of Sussex met with world renowned ethologist Dr. Jane Goodall for an intimate conversation on environment, activism, and the world as they see it.”

Jane Goodall 1934 – 2025 🕊️#JaneGoodall

📸 Chris Allerton / Sussex Royal pic.twitter.com/OeY9LbAre1

— ChrisBaronSmith (@ChrisBaronSmit1) October 1, 2025

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.