BBC Breakfast halted for devastating death announcement as tributes pour in

BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty announced the tragic death of Jane Goodall, sharing the news with viewers during Thursday's broadcast. The British primatologist, known for her ground-breaking studies involving chimpanzees, was 91. Fronting the programme alongside Charlie Stayt, Naga told viewers: "The British zoologist and animal rights campaigner Dame Jane Goodall has died at the age of 91. Dame Jane spent six decades studying the social and family interactions of chimpanzees in the wild and was considered the world's foremost expert on them."

BBC Breakfast reporter Graham Satchell looked back on her life, explaining how Jane's discoveries "completely changed" our understanding of chimpanzees. In her later life, Goodall dedicated her time to conservation, becoming an "outspoken and widely respected" activist.

Goodall died from "natural causes" on Wednesday in California where she was on a speaking tour of the United States.

A statement on her Facebook page read: "The Jane Goodall Institute has learned this morning, Wednesday, October 1, 2025, that Dr. Jane Goodall DBE, UN Messenger of Peace and Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute has passed away due to natural causes. She was in California as part of her speaking tour in the United States.

"Dr. Goodall's discoveries as an ethologist revolutionised science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world."

Her research journey began when she was just 26-years-old in East Africa in 1960, where she observed chimpanzees and unveiled their ability to engage in complex social behaviours such as tickling.

In a 1986 interview with the BBC, she revealed: "Apparently, from the time I was about one and a half or two, I used to study insects, anything, and this gradually evolved and developed and grew and then I read books like Dr Dolittle and Tarzan, then it had to be Africa that was my goal."

The report sparked a wave of tributes from viewers, with one writing: "Amazing lady RIP."

Another posted: "Mrs Jane Goodall was an excellent scientist. She insisted all apes have human rights. We can make wisdom to coexist with nature through her research results. May she rest in peace."

A third echoed: "No one understood those innocent Chimps as much as world-famous Primatologist and Chimpanzee Expert Dr. Jane Goodall, fought for them as an activist and brought more awareness about these poor souls. Rest in Peace Jane."