Evel Knievel Dies At 69

AP:

Evel Knievel, the hard-living motorcycle daredevil whose jumps over Greyhound buses, live sharks and Idaho's Snake River Canyon made him an international icon in the 1970s, died Friday. He was 69.

Knievel's death was confirmed by his granddaughter, Krysten Knievel. He had been in failing health for years, suffering from diabetes and pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable condition that scarred his lungs.

Read the whole story: AP

Comments

[RedWhiteandBlueState]

01:49 AM on 12/02/2007

RIP Evel.

[Mort]

01:48 AM on 12/02/2007

Hard living or not, bad influence or not, Evel proved that you can live your dream in spite of distance, obstacles or terrible injury. While most of us spend our lives hiding under limiations, he flew past them.

Peace, Evel.

[RogerHWerner]

12:11 AM on 12/02/2007

I was at Twin Falls in 1974 when the guy made his jump. It was the biggest party I have ever attended and the first and only time I have been totally stoned for four days. It was also the first time I took a skinny dip shower under a waterfall with a couple of girls. I watched the jump from the edge of the falls and saw him land in the water via parachute. Everyone around me agreed that it would have been a better show if he had made the jump on a standard motorcycle, rocketed up a long ramp, and sailed out into space. The end result would have been the same and the show would have been infinitely more entertaining. In any event, my friend and I drove 2,000 miles for the show and it was worth the trip.

[foghornleghorny]

02:22 PM on 12/01/2007

I'm sure he was the main reason I was not allowed to ride a motorcycle while growing up.

Still loved him, though.

[MajorKong]

05:22 AM on 12/01/2007

He was definitely larger than life.

[mexamerican]

02:31 AM on 12/01/2007

evel was the baddest mofo on the planet. a showman extraordinaire and completely off his rocker. i spent many an afternoon riding my huffy bike, imagining i was knievel jumping an ungodly row of buses and wiping out in spectacular fashion. the guy was a god to me and my friends. r.i.p. evel.

[SeconLine]

01:44 AM on 12/01/2007

That leather suit...

Inspired by the Confederate flag?

A truly gusty dumb American Redneck.

RIP

[robotfog]

01:12 AM on 12/01/2007

I usually hate macho guys, but to me, Evel, somehow transcended that stereotype. I guess everybody has to go, but we're lucky to have had him with us.

[BeerHolder]

12:40 AM on 12/01/2007

I saw one of his movies when I was a kid and just loved it. I was always jumping my bicycle off of things and over things and amazingly survived. I love the guy. It's the end of an era for me.

Rest In Peace.

[psk]

12:38 AM on 12/01/2007

My God he was AMAZING! Just loved watching him when I was a kid. Still cringe when I see that slow-motion crash they used to play all the time on TV. (Wide World of Sports?)

His stories were always a hoot. Never knew how much was real and how much was true bull.

He will be missed.

[abbbaby]

12:22 AM on 12/01/2007

Evil was the best, I remember him fondly, he tried to jump the grand canyon and had to settle for the snake river. We used to jump bikes without helmets. Man we were boys back then, no wussy stuff for us. I would come home after wrecking and my mom and dad would feed me dinner...oh those were the days.

[Marichu]

11:35 PM on 11/30/2007

I have very fond memories from my childhood of Evel Knievel and his exploits. I remember my brother and I watching his stunts on TV and being amazed at the death and gravity defying jumps. In my eyes it was pageantry with a hint of danger. We were in awe of his ability to continue jumping after multiple serious falls. Truly a great showman. To a bunch of kids growing up back then, he rocked!

[Pdubya]

11:33 PM on 11/30/2007

Evil's view was always grand. That is what you get sometimes living on the edge. Rest in piece Sir.

[AtomicSplash]

11:13 PM on 11/30/2007

every little boy wanted to be Evel Knievel when I was a kid.

go easy bro

[GoreSavingPlanetForJesus]

11:01 PM on 11/30/2007

I had the Evel Knievel toys as a kid in the 70's. Those toys rocked.

What a pioneer. I still enjoy watching the Knievel jumps on dvd (with that heavy bike he used) more than the X-games jumpers with all their sophisticated gear.

Man, he was so damn famous during that period. Each jump was a national event.

A true original.