Jane Goodall’s Cause of Death Revealed After She Was Found Dead in Her Sleep on Speaking Tour

Jane Goodall’s cause of death has been revealed, several weeks after she passed away in her sleep in Los Angeles.

According to her death certificate, the world-renowned conservationist and animal welfare advocate died of cardiac arrest, also known as cardiopulmonary arrest. She was 91. Epilepsy was also listed as a contributing condition. (TMZ was first to report the news.)

On Oct. 1, the Jane Goodall Institute announced that the beloved scientist had died “peacefully” in L.A. while on a speaking tour. Her body was found earlier that day. The institute said she died of natural causes.

Goodall was celebrated as the world’s leading expert on chimpanzees after spending decades observing them in the wild at Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park. She is survived by her son, Hugo, and three grandchildren.

“Dr. Goodall’s discoveries as an ethologist revolutionized science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world,” the institute said in a statement.

In another tribute, the organization added that her “life and work not only made an indelible mark on our understanding of chimpanzees and other species, but also of humankind and the environments we all share. She inspired curiosity, hope, and compassion in countless people around the world and paved the way for many others.”

Goodall remained active until the very end. She was scheduled to speak at UCLA on Oct. 3 as part of her ongoing tour, according to her website.

Just hours before her death was announced, Goodall was still working. Mary Lewis, her personal assistant of 30 years, recalled that Goodall had been editing a document late into the night on Sept. 30.

“I was actually in bed and I saw this email flash across my phone,” Lewis said. “I thought, ‘Oh, I’ll reply tomorrow,’ but then I remembered how busy she was and decided to get up and start editing right away.”

The following morning, at about 8:30 a.m., Goodall was found in a private Beverly Hills home where she had been staying, according to her death certificate. Her body was cremated and returned to her native U.K.

Lewis shared that Goodall had recently begun to feel “finite,” but remained “driven,” continuing to travel nearly 300 days a year. “Everyone says, ‘Oh, we’re at the end of an era,’” Lewis said. “But the era isn’t going to end.”

Goodall made one of her last public appearances during New York Climate Week, held from Sept. 21–28, where she spoke about how “the climate crisis is the greatest challenge of our time.” She also appeared at Forbes’ Sustainability Leaders Summit, urging others to “have courage” in fighting climate change.

“We’ve got to get together,” she said, emphasizing that climate change “is a problem that should be at the heart of everything,” including politics and business.

During a live recording of The Wall Street Journal’s podcast, released on Sept. 26, Goodall reflected on her lifelong mission. “Every day that we live, we make an impact on the planet,” she said in a clip later shared on TikTok. “We can choose what sort of impact we make.”

Goodall was set to appear at a tree-planting ceremony in Pasadena, Calif., on Oct. 1 — the day her death was announced — according to NBC affiliate KNBC.

“The last time I spoke with her, she said, ‘I’m going to be in Los Angeles,’” recalled her friend Patrick McCollum. “I was planning to meet her for a drink, and she said, ‘I really worry it’ll be our last one.’ I ended up staying in New York longer than expected, and she passed away the night before we were supposed to meet. I didn’t get to say goodbye.”