Leonardo DiCaprio delivered an emotional eulogy during the memorial service of legendary wildlife conservationist Jane Goodall.
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While at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, the Titanic star opened up about his longtime friendship with Goodall.
“Most people knew her as Jane Goodall, the icon, the legend,” he said. “But the Jane I was fortunate enough to get to know was gentle, curious, funny, witty, and absolutely unstoppable. She could light up a room with her stories and somehow inspire everyone she met to believe that they individually could do better.”
Leonardo DiCaprio then spoke about spending time with Jane Goodall at various conferences and friends’ homes. He pointed out that he and the conservationist would “end up tucked away in a corner” as they discussed topics such as biodiversity and politics.
DiCaprio then recalled a special photo of him with Goodall. “I looked straight into the camera,” he explained. “When I looked to my left, Jane was looking directly at me.”
Quoting Goodall, DiCaprio spoke about the photo angles she chose. She said she preferred a specific pose. “Because for her, it was never about the image itself,” he said. “It was about that shared connection. And that small moment said everything to me about who she was: an enlightened Homo sapien.”
Jane Goodall Passed Away on Oct. 1
The memorial service took place about a month after Jane Goodall passed away at 91.
As previously reported, Goodall’s cause of death was cardiopulmonary arrest. Her death has been considered natural.
It was further revealed that the famed conservationist had previously been diagnosed with epilepsy, the death certificate revealed. However, it’s not clear if the condition played a factor in her death.
The Jane Goodall Institute announced the 91-year-old’s death in a statement.
“Dr. Goodall’s discoveries as an ethologist revolutionized science,” the statement reads. “And she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world.”
Goodall was the world’s first female expert on primates, beginning her work at age 26. She founded her self-titled institution in 1977, introducing a new approach to conservation after realizing that chimps were threatened by habitat destruction and illegal primate trafficking.