Robbie Knievel, a stunt performer who set records with daredevil motorcycle jumps following the tire tracks of his thrill-seeking father — including at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in 1989 and a Grand Canyon chasm a decade later — died Jan. 13 at a hospice in Reno, Nev. He was 60.
He had pancreatic cancer, his brother Kelly Knievel said.
“Daredevils don’t live easy lives,” Kelly said in an interview. “He was a great daredevil. People don’t really understand how scary it is, what my brother did.”
As a boy, Robbie began on his bicycle to emulate his famous father, Evel Knievel, who died of lung disease in 2007. While Evel Knievel almost died of injuries suffered when he crashed his Harley-Davidson during a jump over the Caesars Palace fountains in 1967, Robbie completed the jump in 1989 using a specially designed Honda.
Mr. Knievel also made headline-grabbing Las Vegas Strip jumps over a row of limousines in 1998 at the Tropicana Hotel; between two buildings at the Jockey Club in 1999; and in front of a volcano attraction at the Mirage casino resort on New Year’s Eve in 2008.
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After crash-landing to complete a motorcycle leap over a 220-foot chasm at a Native American reservation outside Grand Canyon National Park in 1999, Mr. Knievel noted that his father always wanted to jump the spectacular natural landmark in Arizona but never did. Mr. Knievel broke his leg in his crash.
Share this articleShareEvel Knievel instead attempted to soar over a mile-wide Snake River Canyon chasm in Idaho in 1974. His rocket-powered cycle crashed into the canyon while his parachute deployed.
Mr. Knievel, who promoted himself as “Kaptain Robbie Knievel,” also jumped over a row of military aircraft on the deck of the USS Intrepid aircraft carrier in 2004. He later starred on a short-lived A&E reality show, “Knievel’s Wild Ride,” and set several stunt records. But he failed in other attempts, including when he was injured in 1992, at age 29, when he crashed into the 22nd of 25 pickup trucks lined up across a 180-foot span in Cerritos, Calif.
“Injuries took quite a toll on him,” his brother said.
Robert Edward Knievel II was born in Butte, Mont., on May 7, 1962.
By age 13, he was jumping over five vans at a time. “I could’ve jumped further,” he later told The Washington Post. “My dad just wouldn’t let me.”
In addition to his brother, survivors include three daughters, Krysten Knievel-Hansson, Karmen Knievel and Maria Collins.
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