Robbie Knievel died in Nevada, said the brother of Robbie Knievel, an American stunt artist who set records in stunt motorcycle jumping after the tire tracks of his thrill-seeking father. He was 60 years old.
Robbie Knievel died early Friday at a Reno nursing home after battling pancreatic cancer, Kelly Knievel said.
“Horribles don’t live an easy life,” Kelly Knievel told the Associated Press. “It was so reckless. People really don’t understand how horrible what my brother did.”
As a boy, Robbie Knievel started riding his bike to emulate his famous father, Evel Knievel, who died in 2007 in Clearwater, Florida.
But where Evel Knievel nearly died from his injuries when he crashed his Harley-Davidson while jumping over the Caesars Palace fountains in Las Vegas in 1967, Robbie completed the jump in 1989 using a custom-built Honda.
Robbie Knievel has also performed jumps on the headline-grabbing Las Vegas Strip while jumping over a row of limousines in 1998 at the Tropicana Hotel; between two buildings at the Jockey Club in 1999; and a New Year’s Eve jump amidst fireworks in front of the Volcano attraction at The Mirage on December 31, 2008.
After landing a motorcycle to complete a jump over a 220-foot chasm on an Indian reservation outside Grand Canyon National Park in 1999, Robbie Knievel recalled that his father had always wanted to jump the stunning natural landmark in Arizona, but had never done so. Robbie Knievel broke his leg in his crash.
Evel Knievel instead attempted to fly over the mile-wide gap of Snake River Canyon in Idaho in September 1974. His rocket-powered bicycle crashed into the canyon during escape parachute deployment.
Robbie Knievel’s brother recalled other stunts including a 2004 leap over a row of military aircraft on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid, a museum in New York.
Robbie Knievel, who promoted himself as “Captain Robbie Knievel”, has set many records, but has also failed on several attempts. In 1992, at the age of 29, was injured When the truck hit 22 of 25 pickup trucks lined up 180 feet apart in Cerritos, California.
“The injuries have taken a toll on him,” Kelly Knievel said Friday.
Kelly Knievel lives in Las Vegas. He said his brother died with three daughters by his side: Kristin Knievel Hanson of Chicago, Carmen Knievel of Missoula, Montana, and Maria Collins of Waldport, Oregon.
A date for services was not immediately set, but Kelly Knievel said his brother will be buried with other family members in Butte, Montana.
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