Family and friends said goodbye to Steve Irwin during a private service at a Caloundra, Queensland, funeral home on Australia's Sunshine Coast.

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Irwin, the television personality known worldwide as the "Crocodile Hunter," died Sept. 4 when a stingray barb pierced his heart while he was shooting a documentary in waters off Queensland.

The family has said a public memorial service would be conducted soon, possibly at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium, the Queensland Daily Mail reported Sunday. The family earlier declined an offer of a state funeral.

Meanwhile, a family friend said the Caloundra City Council granted permission to the Irwin family to bury him on family land near the Australia Zoo, the newspaper said. Tributes continue to flood the Australia Zoo, which is owned by the Irwin family.