Your point that he "would have been dead a lot sooner" makes my point because he IS dead a lot sooner, at the young age of 44 when he still had so many years of productive life ahead of him.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed his show the few times that I saw it, but in every episode I saw except one he was handling some terribly poisonous creature, usually in circumstances where it could have been avoided. After awhile the novelty wore off and I saw no reason to watch after that.
I simply took exception to your notion that he had a death wish. I've seen people with death wishes, and they do things a lot differently from what Irwin did. I enjoyed watching the fact that even if he got lashed by a croc's tail, or nearly bitten by a poisonous snake, he didn't get mad a the critter, because he knew they were just doing what they do. He may have enjoyed the danger and the adrenalin rush, but I think Death Wish is pushing the point.
The one time I saw him get mad at a critter, he didn't lash out at it. He removed himself from the situation until he could think clearly again.
So, what you're saying is, you watched for a titillating death-wish until you became bored and can't comprehend that others, less superficial, watched his show regularly to learn about life and nature.
Please, O Great Expert, detail for us the exact circumstances that led to Irwin getting a barb in the chest. Share with us your inside information. You see, you must know exactly what he was doing, the exact position of the animal, all that stuff, in order to say that he "overplayed his hand" with a poisonous animal.
Unless you're just a pompous ass, of course.