The cause of death for renowned primatologist and conservationist Jane Goodall has been revealed, nearly three weeks after her passing at 91. Goodall died from cardiorespiratory arrest, also known as cardiac arrest. TMZ reported the detail on Monday, October 20, citing her death certificate.
The Jane Goodall Institute confirmed she passed away in her sleep on October 1, 2025.
The institute had previously announced her death via a social media statement that day. It noted Goodall, a DBE and UN Messenger of Peace, died of natural causes while on a lecture tour in California.
“The Jane Goodall Institute has received this morning, Wednesday, October 1, 2025, the news that Dr. Jane Goodall DBE, UN Messenger of Peace and founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, has passed away from natural causes. She was in California as part of her U.S. lecture tour,” the statement read.
The message concluded by stating, “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’s death occurred just days before a scheduled lecture. She was set to speak at Royce Hall at the University of California, Los Angeles, on Friday, October 3.
Goodall was celebrated for her groundbreaking research on chimpanzees. For over 60 years, she studied the social and family interactions of chimpanzees in Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park. She was considered one of the world’s foremost experts on the species.
Beyond her research, Goodall founded the Jane Goodall Institute. She also developed the Roots & Shoots program, focusing on conservation and animal welfare. Goodall was named a UN Messenger of Peace in 2002 and was an honorary member of the World Future Council.
Earlier this year, Goodall appeared on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast. She discussed her achievements as a woman in her field during the May episode.
“I feel like I was put on this planet with a mission,” Goodall stated. She noted that many people are currently losing hope, calling it a “big problem.”
Goodall encouraged listeners to focus on local issues rather than global ones they cannot solve. “This mission keeps me going,” she added. “There is so much to do, and if we lose hope, we are doomed.”
“If you lose hope, people become apathetic and do nothing,” Goodall explained.
She highlighted that she was not alone in her mission. The Jane Goodall Institute has expanded to 25 countries, while Roots & Shoots operates in 75.
During the same podcast, Goodall credited her mother for much of her success. “I was born loving animals, and the most important thing in my childhood was my mother because she supported me,” she recalled.
She recounted an early memory her mother shared. “When I was a year and a half — I don’t remember it, but she told me — she came into my room and saw that I had brought a handful of earthworms to bed.”
Goodall’s mother reacted with understanding, seeing it as “the beginning of a little scientist.” Goodall noted, “Another mother might have repressed that early curiosity and perhaps I wouldn’t be talking to you now.”
The scientist began her pioneering research at the age of 26.
Goodall also shared her mother’s advice to young people. “If you want to do something, work hard, seize opportunities,” she said. “The key is to know that you really want to do it.”
She cautioned against staying in an unsuitable career path. “If this is going to be the rest of your life, change now while you can professional path,” she advised.