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13th Jan 2023

Stuntman Robbie Knievel, son of Evel Knievel, dead aged 60

Steve Hopkins

Robbie started doing jumps at 4 and performed at Madison Square Garden when he was 8

Robbie Knievel, daredevil and son of stuntman Evel Knievel, has died.

He was 60.

TMZ said a family source had said Robbie was in hospice case for his final days after battling pancreatic cancer. The publisher said the stuntman died early Friday morning with his daughters at his side.

The news appeared to be confirmed by friends of the performer who remembered him as a “legend”.

Robbie, also known as ‘Kaptain Robbie Knievel’, followed in his dad’s footsteps from a young age – jumping his bike at only 4 years old, and first performing at Evel’s show at Madison Square Garden when he was 8.

He ranked up around 350 jumps in his lifetime, setting world records with 20 of them.

One of the most memorable was successfully jumping the fountains at Caesars Palace in 1989 – a feat his father failed to achieve – and jumping over the man-made volcano in front of the Mirage Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip in 2009.

Robbie, who was was known for his red-white-and-blue jumpsuits, final stunt was in 2011, when he jumped 150 feet above tractor-trailer trucks at the Spotlight 29 Casino in Coachella.

Robbie, who was born Robert Craig Knievel, starred in the short-lived 2005 show, “Knievel’s Wild Ride” which gave viewers a glimpse behind the scenes at how he and his crew gear up for his wild stunts.

Robbie’s dad, who died in 2007 aged 69, retired in 1981 after breaking more than 40 bones in his body, including his back seven times. He was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999 and in the 70s was a regular on TV.

He landed a role on The Bionic Woman, appeared on The Donnie And Marie Show as well as The Sonny And Cher Show, and became a regular guest on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.

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