Overview

• The Jane Goodall Institute said she died peacefully in her sleep of natural causes in Los Angeles while on a U.S. tour.
• Local police and emergency responders reported an 8:30 a.m. call and said there were no signs of foul play.
• She had been scheduled to speak in California this week, including a UCLA event listed for Friday.
• Over six decades at Gombe, she documented chimpanzee tool use, meat-eating, complex social bonds and distinct individual personalities.
• Global tributes followed from leaders, scientists and public figures, and her lifetime honors included a DBE (2003) and the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom (2025).