Jane Goodall, pioneer who discovered chimpanzees use tools, dead at 91 during U.S. tour

Jane Goodall, the trailblazing primatologist who taught the world about chimpanzees and their striking similarities to humans, has died at the age of 91.

Her death was announced by her foundation, the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI), on Wednesday. 

According to the organization, Goodall passed away earlier that morning “due to natural causes.”

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“She was in California as part of her speaking tour in the United States,” the statement said.

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

Jane Goodall, English primatologist, ethologist, and anthropologist, with a chimpanzee in her arms, c. 1995. (Photo by Apic/Getty Images)

Goodall’s fascination with primates began at an early age. Remarkably, she earned a PhD in ethology from the University of Cambridge in the mid-1960s, one of few students admitted without holding a prior bachelor’s degree.

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In 1960, she discovered that chimpanzees can use and make tools, which the JGI called “one of the greatest achievements of twentieth-century scholarship.” She founded her institute, which has become a prominent conservation NGO, in 1977.

World-renowned primatologist and chimpanzee expert Dr Jane Goodall visits Sydney’s Taronga Zoo, 14 July 2006. (GREG WOOD/AFP via Getty Images)

“She took an unorthodox approach in her field research, immersing herself in their habitat and their lives to experience their complex society as a neighbor rather than a distant observer and coming to understand them not only as a species, but also as individuals with emotions and long-term bonds,” the institute noted.

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In 1991, she founded the Roots & Shoots program, a youth movement focused on conservation and humanitarianism. 

British primatologist and UN peace ambassador Jane Goodall, the world’s famous authority on chimpanzees, poses for a photograph on January 18, 2018, in Paris. (Photo by STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP via Getty Images)

Most recently, Goodall was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by former President Joe Biden at the beginning of 2025.

Her death led to an outpouring of grief on social media. In one post, the San Antonio Zoo wrote that it was “devastated” by the news.

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“She spent her life advocating for chimpanzees and all wildlife,” the zoo’s post read. “Her goal was to help people understand the true nature of animals and that each individual animal is important. While her work, words and passion will live on, we send our thoughts and prayers to her family, friends and colleagues.”

UN peace messenger and British primatologist Jane Goodall, the world’s famous authority on chimpanzees, waits for a meeting with a gorilla family in front of a window at the Zoo Park and Botanic Garden in Budapest on February 11, 2008, during her visit to the Hungarian capital. (ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP via Getty Images)

The United Nations also honored Goodall in a message on X.

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Today, the UN family mourns the loss of Dr. Jane Goodall,” the UN’s post read. “The scientist, conservationist and UN Messenger of Peace worked tirelessly for our planet and all its inhabitants, leaving an extraordinary legacy for humanity and nature.”

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Curto contributed reporting.