Knievel would regularly share his anti-drug message, one of his core values. Known as "Kaptain Robbie Knievel," Robbie Knievel had his own daredevil career with 350 jumps and 20 world records, according to his biography on his official website. Throughout his career, he attempted more than 75 ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps. Linda Knievel Net Worth As of 2021, Robbie's age is 59 years. Knievel briefly used a Honda 250cc motorcycle to jump a crate of rattlesnakes and two mountain lions, his first known jump. Robbie Knievel's ex wife. [4] His final tour appearance with Robbie was in March 1981 in Hollywood, Florida. Evel Knievel's huge fame caused him to start traveling with bodyguards, who became life-long friends. Movies. The models included a Robbie Knievel doll, the Scramble Van, a Dragster, a Stunt Car, and the Evel Knievel The Stunt World. The series, inspired by his popularity, featured stunt motorcyclists. When he switched to the Triumph motorcycle, his jumpsuit changed to a white suit with stripes down the legs and sleeves. In 1962, Knievel broke his collarbone and shoulder in a motocross accident. On September 8, 1974, Knievel attempted to jump the Snake River Canyon on a rocket-propelled motorcycle designed by former NASA engineer Robert Truax, dubbed the Skycycle X-2. Advertisement. [39], After the Snake River jump, Knievel returned to motorcycle jumping with ABC's Wide World of Sports televising several jumps. Knievel jumped too late and the motorcycle hit him in the groin, tossing him 15 feet (4.6m) into the air. Something went wrong, please try again later. Linda Knievel is the mother of the late American daredevil Robbie Knievel.. Linda Knievel's husband and son. The drogue parachute prematurely deployed as the Skycycle left the launching rail and induced significant drag. He got married to Linda Knievel in 1959 and they divorced in 1997. Rumors circulated that he was in a coma for 29 days in the hospital, but this was refuted by his wife and others in the documentary film Being Evel. When released, he returned to Barstow to finish the performance he had started almost a month earlier. Robert Knievel Obituary (2007) - St Petersburg, FL - Tampa Bay Times [6], Knievel's website says that he chose his nickname after spending a night in jail in 1956 after being arrested for reckless driving. Knievel then used a Norton Motorcycle Company 750cc for only one year, 1966. . Reggie Bush (38) 1985. In 1967, his father had attempted the same jump and almost died from the injuries he sustained when he crashed his Harley-Davidson. To get an audience with casino CEO Jay Sarno, Knievel created a fictitious corporation called Evel Knievel Enterprises and three fictitious lawyers to make phone calls to Sarno. Braun cited Knievel as an inspiration and wanted to show that Knievel's jump would have been successful had the parachute not been deployed too early. Robert Craig Knievel (/knivl/; October 17, 1938November 30, 2007), known professionally as Evel Knievel, was an American stunt performer and entertainer. He was riding a Roland Sands Designprepared 450-pound Indian Scout FTR750, and dressed in a full Evel Knievel getup, down to wearing vintage-style-appearing dress boots from Bates, the manufacturer that had made Evel's. In interviews, he said the reason for the switch was because he saw how Liberace had become not just a performer, but the epitome of what a showman should be, and Knievel sought to create his variation of that showmanship in his jumps. To keep his name in the news, Knievel proposed his biggest stunt ever, a motorcycle jump across the Grand Canyon. RELATED:Robbie Knievel cause of death, wife, net worth, parents, age, and other facts. Evel Knievel | Biography, Stunts, Jumps, & Facts | Britannica Born to Evel and Linda, a former cheerleader, on May 7, 1962, in Butte, Montana, Robert Edward Knievel II began riding motorcycles at age 7, performed his first show with his dad at Madison Square . Robbie Knievel's brother, Kelly Knievel, confirmed his brother's death today and said there will be a service in Butte and Robbie Knievel will be buried in the family plot at Mountain View . Robbie Knievel is survived by his three daughters, five grandchildren, his older brother Kelly and two sisters, and his mother, Linda. To date, Robbie Knievel has completed over 350 jumps, including 20 world records. Sadly, the pair divorced in the 1997. Sure, I was scared. Linda and Evel were . Following the divorce, Krystal Knievel was granted a restraining order against him. Web:www.ghbase.com Knievel, 69, divorced his childhood sweetheart Linda Bork mother of his four children in 1997. Both the X-1 and the X-2 test vehicles went into the river. KNIEVEL, Robert Craig "Evel" Friday, Nov. 30, 2007, marked the end of what will forever be remembered as the longest and most courageous battle between one man, a man we all know as the world's greate / Credit: AP Photo/LM Otero. Attempting his jumps on motorcycles whose suspensions were designed primarily for street riding or flat track racing was a major factor in Knievel's many disastrous landings. To push his case, he hired famed San Francisco defense attorney Melvin Belli to fight the legal battle for obtaining government permission. Robbie Knievel | Official Website [3] His mother was of Irish ancestry. Knievel wanted to be paid to use and promote a company's brand of motorcycles. Outside the studio commissary, one of Knievel's friends grabbed Saltman and held him, while Knievel attacked him with an aluminum baseball bat, declaring "I'm going to kill you!" Robbie also has three other siblings. It took numerous surgeries and permanent metal plates in his arm for Saltman to regain the use of his arm. Knievel leaves a California courthouse in 1977 with his then-wife Linda after he was sentenced to six months in jail and three years probation for beating promoter Shelly Saltman with a baseball bat. For 38 years, Robbie Knievel and his wife Linda were together. Long-time friend Engelbert Humperdinck sent a recorded tribute to the couple. The commercial depicts the RS5 being driven by a professional driver and jumping the canyon off a jump ramp.[82][83]. He was 60 years old. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Ghbase.com is a popular news website that publishes content on several personalities around the world. More Birthdays. The decision was then made to have Truax build two Skycycle X-2s, one to test and one for the actual jump. Name: Kasey Faur. [41] Although Knievel broke his arms, he was more distraught over what he claimed was a permanent eye injury to cameraman Thomas Geren. While in Las Vegas to watch Dick Tiger successfully defend his World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Council (WBC) light heavyweight titles at the Convention Center on November 17, 1967, Knievel first saw the fountains at Caesars Palace and decided to jump them. When Knievel began jumping, he used a black and yellow jumpsuit. May 2011 - Mar 202210 years 11 months. While flying back to Butte from a performance tour, he looked out the window of his airplane and saw the Snake River Canyon. The site also curates relevant content that serves the needs of its audience. He managed to hold on until the cycle hit the base of the ramp. Robert Edward Knievel II (May 7, 1962 - January 13, 2023) was an American daredevil and son of stunt performer Evel Knievel. The Evel Knievel Roller Coaster operated for three seasons before being renamed American Thunder in 2011. The State of Idaho registered the X-2 as an airplane rather than a motorcycle. Knievel sought to make more money from his image. Nebraska, U.S., Birth Ledgers, 1904-1911, Birth Index, 1912-1994. Robbie Knievel dies at age 60, service to be held in Butte Robbie Knievel Parents. Evel Knievel was married to Linda Joan Bork for nearly 40 years, and it all started with a kidnapping. Performance & security by Cloudflare. He had been suffering from diabetes and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis for many years. He was an actor, known for The Bionic Woman (1976), Viva Knievel! Because I will never, ever, ever jump again. The iconic stuntman Robbie Knievel is secretive regarding his personal life, marriage, and wife. [37] Stuntman Eddie Braun announced he was working with Kelly and Robert Truax's son to recreate the jump using a replica of the Skycycle X-2. Robbie Knievel parents: Meet Evel Knievel, Linda Knievel According to "Evel," the publication of Saltman's unflattering portrait sent Knievel into a rage. [3] Knievel began jumping his bicycle when he was four years old and learnt how to ride motorcycles by the age of seven. 42, no. As a youth, Knievel was often jailed for stealing hubcaps and motorcycles, including a Harley-Davidson motorcycle at age 13. Robbie Knievel, daredevil son of Evel Knievel, dies at 60 The parents of Robbie Knievel are Robert "Evel" and Linda Knievel. At the tail end of his career, while helping launch the career of his son, Robbie, Knievel returned to the Triumph T120. Robert Craig "Evel . He is a producer and actor, known for Stuntman (2018), Storyville (1997) and The Evel Knievel Way (2020). When they divorced years later, she said, "He always thought there was something better out there and never stopped looking for it . Robbie Bachman: Bachman-Turner Overdrive drummer and co-founder dies at 69. Linda Knievel is currently available. Ideas included jumping across the Mississippi River, jumping from one skyscraper to another in New York City, and jumping over 13 cars inside the Houston Astrodome. I assist the CEO in promoting the EK . The footage of this crash was so upsetting to Knievel that he did not show the clip for 19 years until the documentary Absolute Evel: The Evel Knievel Story. Throughout his career, he attempted more than 75 ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps.Knievel was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999. The United States Olympic Committee ended up paying the Czechoslovakian team's expenses to avoid an international incident. . He was born in the city of Butte in Montana.