Jane Goodall, trailblazing scientist who transformed the study of primates, dies: What was the cause of death?

Jane Goodall, the legendary primatologist whose groundbreaking work with chimpanzees reshaped the way the world understands animal behavior, has died at the age of 91. The Jane Goodall Institute, the organization she founded in 1977 to protect ecosystems and biodiversity, confirmed her passing on Wednesday, October 1, 2025. She died of natural causes while in California on a U.S. lecture tour.

“The Jane Goodall Institute has learned this morning, Wednesday, October 1, 2025, that Dr. Jane Goodall DBE, UN Messenger of Peace and Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute has passed away due to natural causes,” the organization announced in a statement. A later message added that she “died peacefully in her sleep while in Los Angeles.”

A pioneer who redefined the study of chimpanzees

Born in London and raised in Bournemouth, Goodall was just 26 when she first traveled to Africa to study chimpanzees. Unlike most researchers of her era, she had no formal academic training at the outset. Instead, she relied on patience, intuition, and deep empathy to connect with the animals. Over time, she developed a unique form of communication and gained their trust—an approach that would become revolutionary.

Goodall later earned her doctorate in ethology from Cambridge University and went on to receive honorary degrees from 45 universities worldwide. Her intimate bond with chimpanzees captivated the globe, especially through acclaimed National Geographic documentaries that revealed never-before-seen behaviors—such as chimpanzees using tools and forming complex social structures.

From childhood curiosity to global icon

Her fascination with animals started early. “Apparently, from the time I was about one and a half or two, I used to study insects, anything, and this gradually evolved and developed and grew and then I read books like Dr Dolittle and Tarzan, then it had to be Africa that was my goal,” she once told the BBC.

That dream became a career that would change science forever. Over the decades, Goodall gave thousands of interviews, authored books, and inspired films that turned her into one of the most recognizable scientists of our time.

An unyielding voice for the planet

Even in her later years, Goodall remained an active force, dedicating herself to environmental advocacy and warning of the dangers of climate change. “If we don’t get together and impose tough regulations on what people are able to do to the environment - if we don’t rapidly move away from fossil fuel, if we don’t put a stop to industrial farming, that’s destroying the environment and killing the soil, having a devastating effect on biodiversity - the future ultimately is doomed,” she once cautioned.

Her legacy extends far beyond science. Jane Goodall’s life embodied a call to action—for animals, for ecosystems, and for humanity itself.

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