As I’m sure the whole world knows now, Steve Irwin is dead. At various times in his life he was, according to popular media, a “drongo” and a “dill”. He was out of the spotlight for a while (as far as I know), then he died and became a “hero” and a “superstar”.  How did this transition occur? I am obviously among the unenlightened, for few others seem to have any problem with this. I’m sure he was a nice enough bloke, he did a lot of work for conservation and tourism which I respect. Somebody explain how dying made him a hero?