Welcome to a memorial site celebrating the life and work of the wildlife biologist and environmental activist Iggy Fox, who died suddenly on 6th February 2020 as the result of an undiagnosed heart condition. Begin by watching the dance that he choreographed, performed and filmed, unassisted, in an abandoned shopping mall in Thailand in 2017.
If you would like to add an image, tribute or contact us please write to: Fox@iggyfox.com
Iggy Fox was born as Raphaël Coleman in London on 30 September 1994. On 6th February 2020, aged 25, he collapsed and died suddenly as the result of an undiagnosed heart condition. In his short life he achieved more than many manage to do in a lifetime.
From the ages of eight to fourteen he worked as a child actor on four films – Nanny McPhee, It’s Alive!, The Fourth Kind, and Edward’s Turmoil. He won two acting awards, and he was also a linguist, writer, photographer, film-maker, dancer and gymnast. But his fascination with the non-human world meant that his heart was always with what he called simply The Wild.
As a zoology student at Manchester University he founded the wildlife workers’ community The Wildwork, which continues to thrive and connect people working in conservation and defending endangered wildlife and threatened ecosystems. His work as a wildlife biologist in South Africa, Costa Rica, Fiji, Greece, Mexico, the United States, Indonesia, Thailand and Bolivia intensified his dedication to the more-than-human world.
But it also convinced him of the urgent need for activism. In the UK he played an important role in the early days of Extinction Rebellion, running its first Social Media team and taking part in numerous actions with the Snowflakes affinity group. These included co-ordinating the occupation of Trafalgar Square at the 2019 October Rebellion, protesting against BP in London’s National Portrait Gallery, participating in the Stop HS2 campaign, and vandalizing the Brazilian Embassy in London to draw attention to the murder of indigenous wildlife defenders in Amazonia. At the time of his death, he was awaiting trial for that action, and preparing to make a film about all-female anti-poaching units in South Africa and Zimbabwe.
His life and work inspired all who knew him, and continue to leave an indelible legacy. Prophetically, he wrote in a notebook just months before his death: “I’ll not be dead until my dream is, I’ll not fade away until my vision does, I’ll not be gone until all my hopes are.”
This tribute to Iggy Fox, created by the film-maker Kirk Jones and voiced by Iggy’s brother, was played at his memorial.
