Who2 Editorial Blog

Notes and Commentary from the Editors

Saturday, December 01, 2007

Evel Knievel, "Bone-Shattering" Stuntman

Motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel has died at age 69.

Knievel was a crafty star of the pre-cable TV age, when a single rare appearance on ABC's Wide World of Sports would be seen by tens of millions. Nowadays kids in the X Games perform motorcycle jumps, spins and look-ma-no-hands shenanigans that beat anything Evel ever did. But Evel had the P.T. Barnum gene and knew how to milk a jump over 10 Greyhound busses for maximumum publicity, drama, and cash.

A spin through the obituary openers:

"Evel Knievel's hard life killed him -- it just took longer than he or anyone else might have expected." - The Associated Press

"Evel Knievel died Friday after 69 years, which is more than twice as long as it by all rights should have taken him." - Time

"Evel Knievel, the hard-living, death-defying adventurer who went from stealing motorcycles to riding them in a series of spectacular airborne stunts in the 1960s and '70s that brought him worldwide fame as the quintessential daredevil performer..." - The New York Times

"Evel Knievel, who earned worldwide fame for his bone-shattering motorcycle stunts and star-spangled white jumpsuits..." - The Guardian

"Evel Knievel, the seemingly indestructible and undeniably fearless motorcycle daredevil who jumped over buses, sharks and the Snake River Canyon..." - Wired

So long, Evel. You sure made it out of Butte.

Posted by Mr. Holznagel at 4:15 AM Share on Facebook

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