David Bellamy, a charismatic British TV naturalist and botanist who inspired viewers with his enthusiasm, died Wednesday. He was 86.
Bellamy first appeared on TV in the 1960s and co-founded the London-based Conservation Foundation, which encourages environmental projects, more than three decades ago. David Shreeve, the Conservation Foundation’s director and co-founder, expressed his sadness in a statement.
“David and I worked together on a variety of projects in a various places since launching The Conservation Foundation in 1982,” Shreeve said in the statement. “He was a larger-than-life character who became a very special friend and teacher. He inspired a whole generation with his wide range of interests and enthusiasm which knew no bounds.”
Bellamy’s wife Rosemary died last year, according to the BBC.
The enthusiastic bearded plant lover said his broadcasting work dried up in his later years because of doubts he cast on the existence of climate change.
He told the Independent newspaper in 2013 that after he called climate change “poppycock” in 2004, “All of the work dried up after that.” But he didn’t back down from his heterodox views.
Piers Morgan, the Good Morning Britain host, called Bellamy a “brilliant naturalist, broadcaster and character” in a Twitter tribute.
And Stan Collymore, a retired English soccer player, chirped: “Another childhood icon passes. Learnt about botany and shrubs and trees as a kid because of this man’s love and infectious enthusiasm.”
