Jane Goodall’s Final Days and Cause of Death Finally Revealed

The world is mourning the loss of beloved conservation icon Jane Goodall, whose cause of death has finally been revealed weeks after her passing at 91.

The world-renowned chimpanzee expert and environmental activist died on October 1 in Los Angeles, where she was on her U.S. speaking tour. According to her death certificate, Goodall suffered a cardiopulmonary arrest — meaning her heart and lungs suddenly stopped working. Officials confirmed her passing was from natural causes.

The certificate also listed epilepsy as a condition she lived with, though it’s unclear whether it contributed to her death.

Her organization, the Jane Goodall Institute, shared a moving statement confirming the news:
“Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, UN Messenger of Peace and Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, has passed away due to natural causes. She was in California as part of her speaking tour in the United States. Dr. Goodall’s discoveries as an ethologist revolutionized science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world.”

Goodall spent more than six decades studying chimpanzees in Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park, where her groundbreaking research revealed that chimpanzees use tools and display complex emotions once thought to be uniquely human. Her work forever changed how the world understands primates — and ourselves.

Beyond science, she became a global symbol of hope for animals and the planet. A fierce advocate for conservation and animal welfare, Goodall inspired generations to take action for nature.

In her final public appearances, just days before her death, Goodall remained as passionate as ever. During New York Climate Week 2025, she called the climate crisis “the greatest challenge of our time” and urged people to “have courage” in fighting for the planet.

“We’ve got to get together,” she told the crowd at the Forbes Sustainability Leadership Summit. “It’s a problem that should be at the heart of everything.”

Born in Hampstead, London, Goodall credited her parents for nurturing her childhood curiosity about animals — a love that led her to Africa and changed the world. She is survived by her son Hugo, whom she shared with her first husband, Baron Hugo van Lawick, as well as three grandchildren.

Jane Goodall’s legacy lives on — in the forests she fought to protect, the animals she devoted her life to understanding, and the millions she inspired to care just a little more about the planet we all share.