Jane Goodall, the conservationist and prolific author known for her work with chimpanzees, has died at 91, the New York Times reports.

Goodall was born in London, and worked as a secretary for paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey, who arranged for her education at the University of Cambridge, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in natural sciences and a doctorate degree in ethology.

She began her research at the Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania in 1960, where she made groundbreaking discoveries about the social lives of chimpanzees. In 1977, she founded the Jane Goodall Institute, a conservationist organization that works to protect the habitats of primates.

She wrote more than 20 books over her long career, beginning with the 1969 book My Friends, the Wild Chimpanzees. Her other books for adults include In the Shadow of Man; Visions of Caliban, co-written with Dale Peterson; and Beyond Innocence: An Autobiography in Letters: The Later Years. She also wrote several children’s books, including Doctor White, illustrated by Julie Litty; The Chimpanzees I Love: Saving Their World and Ours; and Pangolina, illustrated by Daishu Ma.

Goodall’s admirers paid tribute to her on social media. On the platform X, chef and activist José Andrés posted, “My friend Jane Goodall was the wisest and most compassionate person I’ve ever met. She could make anybody feel hopeful about the future…no matter the hardships of the present. Just this weekend, she wrote to let me know she was thinking about what she could do to alleviate all of the suffering in Gaza, in Ukraine, in Sudan, and beyond. She was my hero, my inspiration. I will miss her every single day.”

And former President Barack Obama wrote, “Jane Goodall had a remarkable ability to inspire us to connect with the natural wonders of our world, and her groundbreaking work on primates and the importance of conservation opened doors for generations of women in science. Michelle and I are thinking of all those who loved and admired her.”

Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.