BRISBANE, Australia (CNN) -- Videotape of Australian "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin shows him pulling a deadly stingray barb from his chest just before he died.
Irwin's manager John Stainton said Irwin was being videotaped diving on a reef off Australia's northeast coast for a television show.
He told Australia's Network 10 that Irwin managed to pull the barb out of his chest but said it was too late, as the poison had already entered his body.
Irwin went into cardiac arrest within moments, news reports said.
Stainton described the footage of his friend dying as "terrible."
"It shows that Steve came over the top of the ray and the tail came up, and spiked him (in the chest), and he pulled it out and the next minute he's gone," Stainton said.
"That was it. The cameraman had to shut down (after that)," Stainton said.
Cardiac arrest is not listed as a usual symptom of a stingray's sting in Medline Plus, the online medical encyclopedia of the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. National Library of Medicine. But they note that although most victims recover within 48 hours, "death has occurred when the patient's chest or abdomen was punctured."
Irwin's body was flown to the city of Cairns.
As fellow countrymen and fans from around the world mourned his death, it was announced that a state funeral for Irwin would be held if his family so chose, an Australian state premier said.
"We will honor Steve Irwin in whatever way his family wants," said Queensland Premier Peter Beattie, speaking to CNN affiliate Channel Seven.
"We will approach the family and we would obviously be keen to honor him in some sort of way from the Queensland Government point of view, from the state's point of view, but we would only do that with the family's approval."
For the past week, Irwin, 44, had been working on an underwater documentary at Batt Reef in the Great Barrier Reef off Port Douglas in Queensland state.
Bad weather for the past few days had made it impossible to proceed with a planned taping for the Animal Planet channel, so Irwin instead chose Monday to shoot "a couple of soft stories for a new TV show we're doing," Stainton said.
"He and the underwater cameraman went out to do some pieces on the reef and coral and stuff good for the kids' show and, unfortunately, he came out over the top of a stingray that was buried in the sand and the barb went up and hit him in the chest."
Rescuers put Irwin aboard his research vessel, Croc 1, and attempted to resuscitate him during the 30-minute dash to nearby Lowe Isle, where a medical helicopter was available to take him to a hospital, but the effort proved futile.
Irwin was director of the Australia Zoo, a major tourist attraction which he developed from his parents' small crocodile farm, in Queensland. He is survived by his American-born wife, Terri, and their two children, Bindi Sue, 8, and Robert (Bob), 3.
Terri Irwin was told of her husband's death while on a walking tour in Tasmania, and returned Monday night to the Sunshine Coast with the children.
'There's always a risk'
"It's just one of these bizarre events that really make you take stock of your life," Animal Planet host Jeff Corwin told CNN. "The reality is, there's always a risk when you work with wildlife. You do your best to take precautions."
"It was just one of those things. It was absolutely a fluke," Corwin added. (Watch the controversy over whether ratings are driving wildlife programs to go too far -- 2:50)
Fellow animal handler and conservationist Jack Hanna said, "It's a tragic thing. It's unbelievable, really. When you think of Steve Irwin, you think of people who are invincible."
Hanna agreed with Corwin that the accident underscores the danger of working with wild animals.
"Ninety-nine percent of the time, when someone is hurt by an animal, it is your fault," he said. "You have to be careful of that. You have to know what your limits are. What that animal is.
"People use the word dangerous and that sometimes is a word that's not fair to that animal because the animal has been given the defenses that God gave it, so you have to understand what all that is involved and if you understand that, hopefully nothing will happen."
Irwin's exuberant approach to nature conservation and the environment also won him a global following, and he and his wife became well-known figures on international television.
TV viewers loved and admired his enthusiasm, fearlessness, and outlandish stunts with dangerous animals, although one incident generated controversy.
Many viewers were upset with him two years ago when he held out his infant son while feeding a snapping crocodile at his zoo.
In 2003, Irwin spoke to the Australian Broadcasting Corp.'s Australian Story television program about how he was perceived in his home country.
"When I see what's happened all over the world, they're looking at me as this very popular, wildlife warrior Australian bloke," he said. "And yet back here in my own country, some people find me a little bit embarrassing. You know, there's this -- they kind of cringe, you know, 'cause I'm coming out with 'crikey' and 'look at this beauty.'"
Irwin popularized the term "crikey."
Fund may be established
Discovery Communications, which produces Animal Planet, said it was considering setting up a fund that would accept donations in Irwin's name to support wildlife protection, education, conservation, Irwin's zoo and the education of his children.
A sensory garden located outside the company's Silver Spring, Maryland, headquarters will be renamed in his honor, said Annie Howell, senior vice president of communications for Discovery Communications.
Animal Planet will air a tribute to Irwin at 6 p.m. ET Tuesday, Maureen Smith, Animal Planet's executive vice president and general manager, said. The channel will continue to run Irwin's shows.
At the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia, which has an exhibit where people can safely touch stingrays, marine biologist Ray Davis said stingray barbs are serrated, can reach 12 inches in length and are used as a defensive mechanism.
"The stingray swings its tail up over its back; the barb is then not really laying against the tail but comes out a bit and allows them to slash or jab to try and get the predator away from them."
Once the barb has pierced the skin, it injects venom, which can be excruciatingly painful, said the vice president of zoological operations, who said he was speaking from experience.
"It can be very crippling," he said.
But fish venom is heat-sensitive, and relief is almost immediate once the affected area is immersed in near-scalding water, he said.
CNN's John Vause contributed to this report.
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What a Huge loss!
You did a lot and more for the Animal World in a Very Spectacular way!
You have my Deepest Respect!
You will be Very sadly missed!
R.I.P. Steve Irwin
