Robbie Knievel Dies: Daredevil Motorcycle Showman & Son Of Evel Knievel Was 60

Tom Tapp
·2 min read
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Robbie Knievel, son of superstar ’70s motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel and an accomplished showman in his own right, died in hospice care after a battle with pancreatic cancer, according to multiple reports. He was 60.

Like his father, Kneivel was adroit at leveraging his abilities on a motorcycle into a media spectacle. Over the course of his career, he had eight live television specials centered around his feats.

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  • He soared over the fountains at Caesars Palace 22 years after his father famously crashed in a similar attempt.

  • In a pay-per-view jump-off with British motorcycle stuntman Eddie Kidd, the duo jumped for distance in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

  • In 1998, Knievel attempted a record-breaking jump of 231 feet over 30 limousines at the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas. His father was there to support him.

  • In 1999, Knievel executed a building-to-building jump between two 13-story towers at the Jockey Club in Las Vegas.

  • He made a jump over a moving train in Texas during which, when Knievel was in midair, the locomotive destroyed his launch ramp.

  • Jumping the Grand Canyon was originally a dream of his father’s, who ended up jumping the Snake River instead. In 1999, Robbie jumped 228 feet over the canyon then crashed his bike on landing and broke his leg.

  • A 2004 jump in front of the volcano at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas was televised live on Fox.

  • In 2004, Knievel jumped over five military airplanes on the deck of the USS Intrepid in New York City to promote the TNT TV movie, Evel Knievel.

In mid-2005, Knievel starred in an A&E series called Knievel’s Wild Ride. He also co-starred with The Fall Guy actor Lee Majors in a pilot for a series to be called Hollywood Stunts.

Knievel was, like his father, a regular on the talk show circuit. In 1996, he jumped over a number of emergency vehicles during an appearance on the Tonight Show With Jay Leno.

Knievel began jumping his bicycle at age four and rode motorcycles at age seven. At age eight, he performed his first show with his father at Madison Square Garden. At age 12, he was on tour with his father, where he would perform in the pre-jump shows.

You can watch the Grand Canyon jump below.

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