Robbie Knievel, the son of the legendary daredevil Evel Knievel, has died from cancer at the age of 60.
Robbie - who also went by the moniker 'Kaptain Robbie Knievel' - was a storied and respected daredevil in his own right, performing more than 350 motorcycle jumps and breaking several world records in the process.
Knievel was reportedly in a hospice at the time of his death, where he had been staying due to his illness.
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Robbie went into his famous father’s footsteps from a very young age, performing his first ever motorcycle jump at the age of just four and performing alongside his dad – who was really called Robert Craig Knievel – at New York’s Madison Square Gardens when he was only eight.
He began touring properly with his dad when he was 12, never graduating from high school – not that this held him back in his career at all.
A disagreement with his father about the length he should have been jumping – he wanted further – followed, though he started his solo career with Evel’s blessing.
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Throughout a stellar career, Robbie became known for his Honda CR5000 motocross bikes that were specifically designed for jumping, as opposed to his father’s signature Harley-Davidson.
He made a habit of taking on jumps that his father had attempted in the past, notably successfully jumping over the fountain at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, a feat that his father tried and failed in 1967.
Robbie also jumped over the Snake River Canyon on an X-2 Skycycle – which is a type of rocket.
Robbie’s last televised jump came in 2008 when he performed a 200-foot jump outside the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas on New Year’s Eve.
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His last ever jump was performed in Coachella, with Knievel flying his motorbike over a number of tractor trailers – 46 metres of them – landing on a ramp at the far side.
Robbie also starred in several TV shows, including Knievel’s Wild Ride and Hollywood Stunts.
He also owned a custom shop in New Jersey called Knievel’s Custom Cycles, selling off motorcycles and other related goods and clothing.
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Evel Knievel died back in 2007 after suffering with pulmonary disease, he was 69-years-old.
He famously spoke about his career in motorcycle jumping with characteristic wit, telling Esquire magazine: “Anybody can jump a motorcycle. The trouble begins when you try to land it.”
Tom Wood