Jane Goodall’s cause of death revealed

Renowned anthropologist Jane Goodall, one of the world’s leading authorities on primates, died in her sleep from cardiopulmonary arrest while on a speaking tour, a California coroner has revealed.

Goodall, 91, also suffered from epilepsy, a contributing factor, when she passed away on Oct. 1 in Los Angeles, according to a death certificate obtained by TMZ.

Her body was later cremated following her death, the document said.

The British-born scientist first ventured to Tanzania in 1960 when she was just 26, launching a legendary groundbreaking career that expanded the world’s understanding of primates and chimpanzees.

Goodall revealed that chimps display many human-like behaviors, and have complex communication systems, can make and use tools and tend to have individual personalities.

Born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall in Bournemouth on April 3, 1934, Goodall was the oldest daughter of Margaret Myfanwe Joseph and Mortimer Herbert-Morris-Goodall, a businessman and racing car driver.

“Jane was passionate about wildlife from early childhood, and she read avidly about the natural world,” officials at the Jane Goodall Institute, which she founded in 1977, posted following her death.

“Having worked as a waitress to save enough money for a sea passage to Kenya, Jane was advised to try to meet respected paleontologist Dr. Louis Leakey,” the site said. “Louis employed her as a secretary at the National Museum in Nairobi, and this led to her being offered the opportunity to spend time with Louis and Mary Leakey in at the Olduvai Gorge in search of fossils.”

Her passion for African chimpanzees prompted former President Joe Biden to award her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, earlier this year.

In 2020, Goodall was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace, and the following year she won the prestigious Templeton Prize which honors a lifelong commitment to the integration of science and spirit.