Stuntman Knievel dies
Evel Knievel appears in Viva Knievel
Also In The News
|
Directed by Andrew Dominik, out November 30th, starring Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Shepard, running time 160 minutes. |  |
Saturday, 01, Dec 2007 08:39
Legendary motorcyclist Evel Knievel has died aged 69 after a long illness.
The stuntman who won fame for his death-defying stunts finally succumbed to a less glamorous death, reportedly caused by lung failure.
He had had a history of diabetes and lung disease and in 1999 had undergone a liver transplant linked to one of his earlier failed exploits.
Knievel first began to make an impact in the 1960s with his Motorcycle Devils troupe, but it was only when he began to adopt his distinctive red, white and blue jumpsuit that he shot on to the worldwide stage and won legions of United States fans.
His catastrophic attempt to jump across the fountains of the Caesar's Palace casino in Las Vegas won him many fans but proved less spectacular than his biggest failure.
In 1974 a rocket-powered motorcycle jump across Idaho's Snake River Canyon looked to be going badly when his parachute activated prematurely, sending him into the river below.
Knievel suffered over 40 fractues in his career but he never achieved his biggest ambition. A planned jump across the Grand Canyon was thwarted by authorities refusing to allow construction of the giant ramp the attempt would have needed.
"It's been coming for years, but you just don't expect it. Superman just doesn't die, right?" the Associated Press news agency quoted his promoter Billy Rundle as saying.