Evel Kneivel - Greatest Motorcycle Stuntman There Ever Was

Evel Knievel wowed us with his amazing daredevil motorcycle stunts. Sadly, Evel passed away at age 69 on Friday, Nov. 30, 2007.

Knievel had been suffering from diabetes and pulmonary fibrosis for awhile after getting Hepatitis C from a liver transplant and blood transfusion years ago that he had to have because of a serious stunt crash.

Evel was in his Clearwater condo when he started having trouble breathing. He died before an ambulance could get him to the hospital.

As a younger man, Robert Knievel had several run-ins with police and an inmate jokingly named him "Evil Knievel." Knievel didn't want a bad image, so he re-spelled "Evil" to become "Evel."

Evel began his death-defying career in 1965 with his own traveling show which included jumping over fire and snake pits on his motorcycle. His career took off from there. People paid to see if Evel could complete a stunt or fail - such as with the 151 feet jump over the Caesar's Palace fountains in 1968 where he crashed and spent days in a coma. You can see a video of this stunt here: Evel's Caesar's Palace Stunt.

After the accident, Evel Knievel jumped back on his motorcycle and went right back to stunt driving. He stopped performing in 1980. It is said that Evel had broken 40 of his bones throughout his career, some of them had been broken multiple times!

Knievel's best stunt is said to have been on September 8, 1974 when he tried to ride a rocket-powered motorcycle across the Snake River Canyon in Idaho. The televised event had most of America watching! As he jumped, the parachute on the Skycycle X-2 deployed. The problem is that he was only about two-thirds across. This sent the bike right into the canyon wall and landed in the river. Miraculously, Knievel walked away with minor injuries. To see the clip of this accident, click here: Canyon Stunt.

Evel's son Robert Jr. (Robbie) follows in his dad's footsteps as a motorcycle daredevil as well. The most noteable stunt he pulled was in 1989 when he attempted the same Caesar's Palace jump that his dad tried, and he made it!

Washington's Smithsonian Institution calls Evel Knievel "America's Legendary Daredevil." He appeared in movies such as his own "Viva Knievel" movie of 1977, and he recently settled a case in which a Kanye West video featured a character called "Evel Kanyevel."

Our kids and neighbors took their bicycles out and started jumping things trying to be like Evel and Robbie. This proves that even though Evel is no longer with us, his name and killer historical stunts will live on. People will talk about Evel Knievel and try to mimic his daredevil styles for many generations to come.