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Bindi Irwin included her late father, Steve Irwin, in her wedding through a beautiful piece of artwork made by a fan. She took to Instagram to share a touching photo of her family — including her husband, Chandler Powell, whom she married in March — holding a professional wedding portrait featuring her dad [3]. "To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die." ― Thomas Campbell 💙" she wrote. "Thank you @the_monkey_brush [4] for creating this spectacular piece."
Steve Irwin died on 4 Sept., 2006, after being pierced in the chest by a stingray barb while filming in Australia's Great Barrier Reef. Lauded by animal-lovers everywhere, Bindi makes it a point to commemorate her dad's legacy on social media frequently.
Naturally, the moving picture resonated with the family's fans. "Oh my goodness, this is so beautiful!!" wrote a woman. "I lost my dad in 2013 and got married in 2016. I would love to have something like this." Bindi initially shared a photo of the portrait on July 16 [6], but snapping a picture with her entire family gives it a whole new meaning.
According to the artist, Debb Oliver, the painting took more than 25 hours to complete over the course of two months. "I kept thinking how proud he would be of her [7], and Robert, and Terry . . . I can safely say the whole world wanted to see Steve's joy and pride on such [a] day," she said in an Instagram video. "So I decided I wanted to show people what I thought that would look like."