Legendary motorcycle stuntman Evel Knievel died Friday

[PosterChild]

From CNN and citing evelknievel.com, which has crashed. Ironic, huh?

 

[CowboyPrincess]

From CNN and citing evelknievel.com, which has crashed. Ironic, huh?

Foxnews just announced the same.. Evel Knievel dead at age 69 of natural causes.

R.I.P

Thanks for the nail biting and eye closing excitement in my youth

 

[Mavs Man]

That stinks, but he's been in poor health for a number of years.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/more/11/30/kneviel.ap/index.html?cnn=yes

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) -- Evel Knievel, the hard-living motorcycle daredevil whose exploits made him an international icon in the 1970s, died Friday. He was 69.

Knievel's death was confirmed by his granddaughter, Krysten Knievel. He had been in failing health for years, suffering from diabetes and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable condition that scarred his lungs.

Knievel had undergone a liver transplant in 1999 after nearly dying of hepatitis C, likely contracted through a blood transfusion after one of his bone-shattering spills.

 

[trickblue]

Evel Knievel Dies at 69
Nov 30 05:21 PM US/Eastern
By MITCH STACY
Associated Press Writer

CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) - Evel Knievel, the hard-living motorcycle daredevil whose exploits made him an international icon in the 1970s, died Friday. He was 69.

Knievel's death was confirmed by his granddaughter, Krysten Knievel. He had been in failing health for years, suffering from diabetes and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable condition that scarred his lungs.

Knievel had undergone a liver transplant in 1999 after nearly dying of hepatitis C, likely contracted through a blood transfusion after one of his bone-shattering spills.​

 

[DallasCowpoke]

Thanks for the nail biting and eye closing excitement in my youth

Just so we're clear, we're still talking about Evil Knievel dying, right?

 

[PosterChild]

Check this out, whippersnappers. I still recall this one. My hero...

Evel Knievel at Caesar's Palace

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYGGCVE2lKY#

 

[PosterChild]

Foxnews just announced the same.. Evel Knievel dead at age 69 of natural causes.

R.I.P

Thanks for the nail biting and eye closing excitement in my youth

No problem.

 

[bbgun]

He was a significant part of my childhood and will be missed.

 

[Hostile]

I believe he was one of the toughest men who ever lived.

I watched every time he was on Wide World of Sports.

 

[jackrussell]

Here's to Evel...the guy that inspired me to do one of the more stupid things in my youth.

 

[burmafrd]

Definitly an original. I remember all his Wide World Of Sports jumps. There was a movie out in the middle 70s with George Hamilton playing him that was pretty good= except hamilton was too pretty really. RIP.

 

[smarta5150]

Gimme and Canadian might question why we don't have a picture and color change on this forum in his honor.

RIP buddy

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

I would be willing to bet I was not the only one that had this toy as a youth.

 

[Hostile]

I would be willing to bet I was not the only one that had this toy as a youth.

Still one of the greatest toys ever.

 

[bbgun]

I can't remember many (heterosexual) boys who didn't have that toy. Damn near indestructible.

 

[CowboyPrincess]

I can't remember many (heterosexual) boys who didn't have that toy. Damn near indestructible.

Hey... a lot of heterosexual girls had them also. I kicked the neighborhood boys butts with my wheelies

 

[smarta5150]

I would be willing to bet I was not the only one that had this toy as a youth.

I didn't but I am sure as hell gonna ebay that thing.

 

[Kangaroo]

Foxnews just announced the same.. Evel Knievel dead at age 69 of natural causes.

R.I.P

Thanks for the nail biting and eye closing excitement in my youth

I use to own his motorcycle toy that you put in that stand and wind up and you let it go was suppose to be able make it do stunts

Man that brings back memories

 

[silverbear]

I believe he was one of the toughest men who ever lived.

I watched every time he was on Wide World of Sports.

He always reminded me of my paternal grandfather, Samuel (Red) Cottrill... he was a semi-legendary bar brawler in and around Hagerstown, Maryland back in the 40s... my Dad was headed in his footsteps until he got arrested for a fight right after he turned 18, and the judge gave him a choice between the Army and jail... Dad decided the Army sounded like a better deal, and wound up serving 20 years... the Army really did turn his life around...

But back to my granddad-- he even looked a bit like Evel did in his later years, and was one ROUGH hombre... when he was in his 70s, he was jumped by two young thugs when he got his Social Security check, and he put both of 'em in the hospital...

When I was about 13, Granddad decided he wanted to get to know me and my brother a little better (we had just moved back to Hagerstown after living several years in El Paso), and took each of us for a day trip on his charter boat, the Miss Evelyn, a 52 footer... he took us separately, I guess so that he could focus his attention on each of us...

Well, on that trip out on the Chesapeake Bay, ol' Red gave me my first beer, and man, did I feel all grown up, sippin' a brew with him... but what I remember most about that trip was some grandfatherly "advice" he gave me at one point... he discussed getting married, and told me:

"When you do get married, as soon as you get your bride alone in your honeymoom suite, the first thing you do is beat the (bleep) out of her. I'm serious about this, if you do it right the first time, you'll never, ever have to do it again"...

Even at that age, I recognized that advice was semi-outrageous, so I just kinda said "OK, Granddad", and we moved on to another topic... but over the years, whenever I think back to that day, I just crack up... he meant well, and he doted on me and my brother Ron, but he was not a nice man... I think I've mentioned before that he was also a card-carrying bigot too...

Anyway, every time I saw Evel Knievel on the TV, it brought back memories of ol' Red... so for that reason alone, I'm saddened to hear of his passing... Evel was a coupla tacos short of a combination plate, but he was fun... his personality also reminded me a lot of the late, great Minnesota Fats, kinda gruff and grumbly...

 

[Hostile]

He always reminded me of my paternal grandfather, Samuel (Red) Cottrill... he was a semi-legendary bar brawler in and around Hagerstown, Maryland back in the 40s... my Dad was headed in his footsteps until he got arrested for a fight right after he turned 18, and the judge gave him a choice between the Army and jail... Dad decided the Army sounded like a better deal, and wound up serving 20 years... the Army really did turn his life around...

But back to my granddad-- he even looked a bit like Evel did in his later years, and was one ROUGH hombre... when he was in his 70s, he was jumped by two young thugs when he got his Social Security check, and he put both of 'em in the hospital...

When I was about 13, Granddad decided he wanted to get to know me and my brother a little better (we had just moved back to Hagerstown after living several years in El Paso), and took each of us for a day trip on his charter boat, the Miss Evelyn, a 52 footer... he took us separately, I guess so that he could focus his attention on each of us...

Well, on that trip out on the Chesapeake Bay, ol' Red gave me my first beer, and man, did I feel all grown up, sippin' a brew with him... but what I remember most about that trip was some grandfatherly "advice" he gave me at one point... he discussed getting married, and told me:

"When you do get married, as soon as you get your bride alone in your honeymoom suite, the first thing you do is beat the (bleep) out of her. I'm serious about this, if you do it right the first time, you'll never, ever have to do it again"...

Even at that age, I recognized that advice was semi-outrageous, so I just kinda said "OK, Granddad", and we moved on to another topic... but over the years, whenever I think back to that day, I just crack up... he meant well, and he doted on me and my brother Ron, but he was not a nice man... I think I've mentioned before that he was also a card-carrying bigot too...

Anyway, every time I saw Evel Knievel on the TV, it brought back memories of ol' Red... so for that reason alone, I'm saddened to hear of his passing... Evel was a coupla tacos short of a combination plate, but he was fun... his personality also reminded me a lot of the late, great Minnesota Fats, kinda gruff and grumbly...

Great story. Minnesota Fats has one of the coolest epitaphs on a tombstone ever.

"Beat everyone on earth. Saint Peter, rack 'em up."