Robbie Knievel, a prominent daredevil and the son of stuntman Evel Knievel, passed away on Friday after a battle with pancreatic cancer. The 60-year-old daredevil had been in hospice care in the days leading up to his passing.
News of his death was confirmed by his brother, Kelly Knievel, on Friday. Kelly told the media that the death was expected as Knievel had entered the final stages of his battle with cancer.
He stated that Knievel passed away in Reno, Nevada, with his two daughters, Krysten and Kamryn, by his side. Kelly also shared a few words about his brother, confirming that he didn’t live an easy life as a daredevil.
However, being a daredevil was what Knievel did best, and Kelly wanted that to be what he is remembered for. He stated, “He was a great daredevil. If you look at his jumps, that’s what he should be known for. It’s what he loved doing.”
Kelly also confirmed that Knievel had married once during his life but was divorced at the time of his passing.
In addition to his daughters and brother, he is survived by his grandchildren, Analise and Kane. He was proceeded in death by his father, who passed away in 2007.
Who was daredevil Robbie Knievel?
Knievel, or Kaptain Robbie Knievel as he called himself, was born on May 7, 1962. He was born to Robert “Evel” Knievel and his first wife, Linda.
Evel was a very famous stuntman known for his motorcycle jumps, which landed him an induction into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame. From a young age, Knievel made it clear he was going to follow in his father’s footsteps.
He was just two years old when he started riding the pillion on his father’s motorcycle. By age four, he was riding and jumping his bike.
Age eight marked his very first public performance as he performed at his father’s show in Madison Square Garden. From his childhood to his teenage years, he performed alongside his father.
He temporarily tried working some hard labor jobs at the sawmill or pouring concrete. However, he quickly realized that being a daredevil and stuntman was the only thing he ever wanted to do.
Eventually, he parted ways with his father and went on his own in a solo career. On his own, he would go on to build a name for himself apart from his father.
However, paying tribute to his father was something that he always incorporated into his career. For example, in 1989, he managed to clear Caesars Palace’s fountains in a jump that his father had failed to land 22 years earlier.
The legacy of Knievel
Knievel will go down in history for his career as a daredevil and the multiple world records he set and broke. During his life, he performed over 350 jumps and nabbed 20 world records.
Among some of his most notable jumps were his 1999 Building-to-Building jump and Grand Canyon jump, as well as his Mirage Hotel jump.
Knievel performed the Building-to-Building Jump at the Jockey Club towers in Las Vegas. In the televised jump, he cleared the 130-foot gap between the 13-story buildings.
Later that year, he decided to jump The Grand Canyon due to it being a lifelong dream of his father’s. He managed to nab a personal record jump of 228 feet but crashed upon landing.
In one of his last televised jumps, he performed a stunt to give the appearance of jumping over the man-made volcano at the Mirage Hotel.
Knievel made a name for himself with his daredevil career, nabbing world records and managing to fulfill some of the dreams his father had before him. As his brother said, he will be remembered for his jumps for a long time to come.