Jahfin Posted November 30, 2007 Share Posted November 30, 2007 Evel Knievel Dies at 69 By MITCH STACY – CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Evel Knievel, the hard-living motorcycle daredevil whose exploits 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 idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable condition that scarred his lungs. Knievel had undergone a liver transplant in 1999 after nearly dying of hepatitis C, likely contracted through a blood transfusion after one of his bone-shattering spills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joelmon Posted November 30, 2007 Share Posted November 30, 2007 I remember watching live his attempt to rocket across the Snake River Canyon. The parachute released early, he hit the other side of the canyon and tumbled into the river.... Botched !!! RIP Man of NO FEAR !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAJones Posted November 30, 2007 Share Posted November 30, 2007 E.K. was as '70s as orange shag carpeting and green linoleum tile. RIP Fearless One. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo the Rover Posted November 30, 2007 Share Posted November 30, 2007 Very sad, as a kid growing up in the 70's, we all worshiped Evel. All the kids in the neighborhood would build bike ramps and see who could get the most air, I took many a spill pretending I was EK. I remember having the rev up Evel action figures complete with motorcycle, my cousin had the Snake Rive rocket...we loaded it with fire crackers and tried to launch it over a ditch in our neighborhood. God Bless Evel....Thanks for all the great memories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
59LesPaul Posted November 30, 2007 Share Posted November 30, 2007 When I was a kid;if you didn't have an Evel Knievel toy of some kind,you knew someone who did.The man was a true one-of-a-kind;not to mention a total badass. If St. Peter hesitates,he'll just jump the Pearly Gates. RIP,Evel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joelmon Posted November 30, 2007 Share Posted November 30, 2007 When I was a kid;if you didn't have an Evel Knievel toy of some kind,you knew someone who did.The man was a true one-of-a-kind;not to mention a total badass. If St. Peter hesitates,he'll just jump the Pearly Gates. RIP,Evel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigstickbonzo Posted November 30, 2007 Share Posted November 30, 2007 One of the worst motorcyclists I've ever seen, but a true entertainer and daredevil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ady Posted November 30, 2007 Share Posted November 30, 2007 R.I.P. One of my favourite toys as a kid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEUVm-Ja6lY Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jahfin Posted December 1, 2007 Author Share Posted December 1, 2007 Very sad, as a kid growing up in the 70's, we all worshiped Evel. All the kids in the neighborhood would build bike ramps and see who could get the most air, I took many a spill pretending I was EK. I remember having the rev up Evel action figures complete with motorcycle, my cousin had the Snake Rive rocket...we loaded it with fire crackers and tried to launch it over a ditch in our neighborhood. God Bless Evel....Thanks for all the great memories. Your Evel Knievel experiences pretty much parallel mine, right down to launching the Snake River rocket/cycle over a neighbor's ditch. I even have the old Super 8 footage to prove it, except we didn't use firecrackers. My fascination began with the Knievel movie starring George Hamilton. Then, like you said, Evel fever swept over the neighborhood in the form of bike ramps, the toys, etc. I've been a fan ever since. I'm not sure if it's available online anywhere but in one of the Rolling Stone anniversary type books there's a firsthand account of his Snake River jump. It sounds like some of the crazy shit that would happen at rock concerts years later (naked girls being passed over the crowd by supposedly being groped by audience members). I didn't see the jump footage immediately as it was only being shown via closed circuit television at the time but I very vividly remember watching it when it aired on ABC's Wide World of Sports shortly thereafter. Evel pretty much set the pace for daredevils, with motorcycles and otherwise, it's definitely the end of an era. Looking at YouTube, I'm surprised to see footage of kids doing stunts with their Evel toys that aren't at all unlike what I did with my own. Hey, that stunt cycle was one badass and endurable toy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leddy Posted December 1, 2007 Share Posted December 1, 2007 I remember watching live his attempt to rocket across the Snake River Canyon. The parachute released early, he hit the other side of the canyon and tumbled into the river.... Botched !!! RIP Man of NO FEAR !!! I remember that too, as a kid I so wanted to be a stuntman like him, I use to ride my bike off blocks of steps, make jumps etc to be like him !! alas I never bacame one, think more to do with the fact I lost the bottle when i grew up but 11yrs old you were fearless. He was unique !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotplant Posted December 1, 2007 Share Posted December 1, 2007 I heard that earlier. Sad. I may be a chick, but I remember the Snake River jump too. My girlfriend was dating his son, Robbie, when he lived here for a short period of time. Cool thought '59! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rorer714 Posted December 1, 2007 Share Posted December 1, 2007 Your Evel Knievel experiences pretty much parallel mine, right down to launching the Snake River rocket/cycle over a neighbor's ditch. I even have the old Super 8 footage to prove it, except we didn't use firecrackers. My fascination began with the Knievel movie starring George Hamilton. Then, like you said, Evel fever swept over the neighborhood in the form of bike ramps, the toys, etc. I've been a fan ever since. I'm not sure if it's available online anywhere but in one of the Rolling Stone anniversary type books there's a firsthand account of his Snake River jump. It sounds like some of the crazy shit that would happen at rock concerts years later (naked girls being passed over the crowd by supposedly being groped by audience members). I didn't see the jump footage immediately as it was only being shown via closed circuit television at the time but I very vividly remember watching it when it aired on ABC's Wide World of Sports shortly thereafter. Evel pretty much set the pace for daredevils, with motorcycles and otherwise, it's definitely the end of an era. Looking at YouTube, I'm surprised to see footage of kids doing stunts with their Evel toys that aren't at all unlike what I did with my own. Hey, that stunt cycle was one badass and endurable toy. Wow,I concur with the both of you and I guess that jumping our bikes happened from the east coast to the west coast.I remember lining up kids on the ground to see how many we could jump and nobody wanted to be the 15th guy he or she was usually the hoodlum of the neighborhood and could take a tire to the abdomen or back depending on their badassness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jahfin Posted December 1, 2007 Author Share Posted December 1, 2007 One of the worst motorcyclists I've ever seen, but a true entertainer and daredevil. Just curious as to why you think Evel was a bad motorcyclist? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rorer714 Posted December 1, 2007 Share Posted December 1, 2007 Everyone keeps talking about the Snake River debacle. What stands out very vividly in my mind is the Caesars Palace jump where he looked like a ragdoll thrown from the back of a pickup doing 80 down the freeway.That was pretty disturbing as a young lad with a motorcycle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted December 1, 2007 Share Posted December 1, 2007 Aww.. shucks. Evel Knievel waves as he is lowered to his rocket in this Sept. 8, 1974 photo before his failed attempt at a highly promoted leap across Snake River Canyon in Twin Falls, Idaho. RIP Fearless One. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manderlyh Posted December 1, 2007 Share Posted December 1, 2007 For those of us who weren't around to see the infamous Snake River Gorge jump, Good Old Idaho Stateman journalist Tim Woodward has a tale for us.... 10:20 p.m. Woodward looks back at Knievel's infamous jump 10:20 p.m. Woodward looks back at Knievel's infamous jump By Tim Woodward - Idaho Statesman Edition Date: 11/30/07 Seen from the vantage point of 33 years later, Evel Knievel’s 1974 “jump” over the Snake River Canyon is thought by some to have been historic. It wasn’t. It was chaos. I was there. Part of a team sent to cover the event, I spent three days in Twin Falls as the crowd grew in size and volatility. It was, in the terminology of the day, a “happening.” Spectators and groupies came by the thousands from all over the country, bringing drugs, alcohol and nudity in profusion. It was Woodstock without the music. Or the peace and love. As the countdown to Knievel’s launch grew shorter, tempers did the same. Conflicts between conservative locals and free-wheeling visitors were commonplace. It was oppressively hot and crowded, and that combined with substance abuse turned a segment of the crowd ugly. People broke into beer trucks and threw unopened cans and bottles at anyone handy. A Knievel handler brandished a shotgun to keep the crowd away from the man who had started it all. Knievel himself fumed that the event had become a monster, then slugged an NBC cameraman who said he hadn’t seen anything like it “outside of wars and riots.” Moments before the launch — the fizzle as it would come to be called — hotheads near the canyon rim tried to push those on the canyon rim over the edge because they had a better view. Law enforcement officers did their best to restrain them, but gradually lost ground. As one of those on the rim, I remember that part vividly. Our unexpected saviors: the Hells Angels. They arrived just in time, helping the cops out by knocking heads. The crowd pulled back, and those of us on the rim lived to tell the story. Far from historic, it was three days of insanity best forgotten. Except for the Hells Angels. I have been across that gorge a hundred times. I always freak out when we cross the bridge. BASE jumpers die jumping off the bridge all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Rover Posted December 1, 2007 Share Posted December 1, 2007 Video of Evel's Leap of Faith Recorded Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigstickbonzo Posted December 1, 2007 Share Posted December 1, 2007 Just curious as to why you think Evel was a bad motorcyclist? Growing up in a family who rode on and off the road for most of the 60s and 70s, they all said it best. He's an entertainer, not much of a rider. My pop was a big Steve McQueen fan, a real rider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigstickbonzo Posted December 1, 2007 Share Posted December 1, 2007 Evel was more of an AIR person than a terrestrial rider... Leap for JOY !!!!!! Right. Alot of motorheads I know say they admire Evel for his admiration for entertaining the crowds to the point of thrusting his entire body onto the pavement at speeds reaching over 80mph but they wouldn't classify him as a legitimate rider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KashmirDevi Posted December 1, 2007 Share Posted December 1, 2007 Growing up in a family who rode on and off the road for most of the 60s and 70s, they all said it best. He's an entertainer, not much of a rider. My pop was a big Steve McQueen fan, a real rider. Steve McQueen was a true rider indeed. Anyone ever catch 'On Any Sunday' ? It's a fantastic documentary on Sunday bike events. It was filmed in the late 60's I'd say and there is a lot of Steve McQueen in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
59LesPaul Posted December 1, 2007 Share Posted December 1, 2007 I just recieved my new issue of Maxim yesterday;and there's a profile/interview of him. At the beginning of the article,his first comment directly to the reporter:"I'm dying.This may be the last interview I ever do." He holds the world record for most broken bones in a lifetime (433 by 1975). Legit rider or not;he's a badass. ...and Steve McQueen is the ultimate badass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigstickbonzo Posted December 1, 2007 Share Posted December 1, 2007 Steve McQueen was a true rider indeed. Anyone ever catch 'On Any Sunday' ? It's a fantastic documentary on Sunday bike events. It was filmed in the late 60's I'd say and there is a lot of Steve McQueen in it. A Bruce Brown classic. I grew up on this film. Still one of my favorites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KashmirDevi Posted December 1, 2007 Share Posted December 1, 2007 A Bruce Brown classic. I grew up on this film. Still one of my favorites. Yeah me too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermit Posted December 1, 2007 Share Posted December 1, 2007 ...and Steve McQueen is the ultimate badass. badass and.. king of cool. Bullitt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KashmirDevi Posted December 1, 2007 Share Posted December 1, 2007 badass and.. king of cool. Bullitt! I smell a Steve McQueen Appreciation thread coming on for all that's cool .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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