Famed primatologist and environmental champion Jane Goodall, who changed our understanding of the animal kingdom through her groundbreaking chimpanzee research, has died at age 91, the institute she founded announced Wednesday — the day she was set to speak to Pasadena school students.

According to the Jane Goodall Institute, she “passed away due to natural causes” at age 91.

“She was in California as part of her speaking tour in the United States,” according to a statement posted on social media Wednesday by the Jane Goodall Institute. “Dr. Goodall’s discoveries as an ethologist revolutionized science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world.”

Goodall had been scheduled to speak at a late-morning event Wednesday at EF Academy in Pasadena

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