Stunt performance As a boy, Knievel had seen the
Joie Chitwood show. He decided that he could do something similar using a motorcycle. Promoting the show himself, Knievel rented the venue, wrote the press releases, set up the show, sold the tickets, and served as his own master of ceremonies. After enticing the small crowd with a few wheelies, he proceeded to jump a box of rattlesnakes and two mountain lions. Despite landing short and his back wheel hitting the box containing the rattlesnakes, Knievel managed to land safely. Knievel realized that to make a more substantial amount of money he would need to hire more performers, stunt coordinators, and other personnel so that he could concentrate on the jumps. With little money, he went looking for a sponsor and found one in Bob Blair, owner of ZDS Motors, Inc., the West Coast distributor for
Berliner Motor Corporation, a distributor for
Norton Motorcycles. Blair offered to provide the needed motorcycles, but he wanted the name changed from
Bobby Knievel and His Motorcycle Daredevils Thrill Show to
Evil Knievel and His Motorcycle Daredevils. Knievel did not want his image to be that of a
Hells Angels rider, so he convinced Blair to at least allow him to use the spelling
Evel instead of
Evil. Knievel and his daredevils debuted on January 3, 1966, at the National Date Festival in
Indio, California. The second booking was in
Hemet, California, but was canceled due to rain. The next performance was on February 10, in
Barstow, California. During the performance, Knievel attempted a new stunt in which he would jump,
spread-eagled, over a speeding motorcycle. Knievel jumped too late and the motorcycle hit him in the groin, tossing him into the air. He was hospitalized as a result of his injuries. When released, he returned to Barstow to finish the performance he had started almost a month earlier. Knievel's daredevil show broke up after the Barstow performance because injuries prevented him from performing. After recovering, Knievel started traveling from small town to small town as a solo act. To get ahead of other motorcycle stunt people who were jumping animals or pools of water, Knievel started jumping cars. He began adding more and more cars to his jumps when he would return to the same venue to get people to come out and see him again. Knievel had not had a serious injury since the Barstow performance, but on June 19 in
Missoula, Montana, he attempted to jump twelve cars and a cargo van. The distance he had for takeoff did not allow him to get up enough speed. His back wheel hit the top of the van while his front wheel hit the top of the landing ramp. Knievel ended up with a severely broken arm and several broken ribs. The crash and subsequent stay in the hospital were a publicity windfall. With each successful jump, the public wanted him to jump one more car. On March 25, 1967, Knievel cleared 15 cars at
Ascot Park in
Gardena, California. Then he attempted the same jump on July 28, 1967, in
Graham, Washington, where he had his next serious crash. Landing his cycle on the last vehicle, a panel truck, Knievel was thrown from his bike. This time he suffered a serious concussion. After a month, he recovered and returned to Graham on August 18 to finish the show; but the result was the same, only this time the injuries were more serious. Again coming up short, Knievel crashed, breaking his left wrist, right knee, and two ribs. Knievel first received national exposure on March 18, 1968, when comedian and late-night talk show host
Joey Bishop had him on as a guest of
ABC's The Joey Bishop Show.
Caesars Palace While in
Las Vegas to watch
Dick Tiger successfully defend his
World Boxing Association (WBA) and
World Boxing Council (WBC) light heavyweight titles at the
Convention Center on November 17, 1967, Knievel first saw the fountains at
Caesars Palace and decided to jump them. To get an audience with casino CEO
Jay Sarno, Knievel created a fictitious corporation called Evel Knievel Enterprises and three fictitious lawyers to make phone calls to Sarno. Knievel also placed phone calls to Sarno claiming to be from
American Broadcasting Company (ABC) and
Sports Illustrated inquiring about the jump. Sarno finally agreed to meet Knievel and arranged for Knievel to jump the fountains on December 31, 1967, New Year's Eve. After the deal was set, Knievel tried to get ABC to air the event live on their popular
Wide World of Sports. ABC declined but said that if Knievel had the jump filmed and it was as spectacular as he said it would be, they would consider using it later. Knievel, at the age of 29, used his own money to have actor/director
John Derek produce a film of the Caesars jump. To keep costs low, Derek employed his then-wife
Linda Evans as one of the camera operators. It was Evans who filmed the famous landing. On the morning of the jump, Knievel stopped in the casino and placed his last $100 on the blackjack table (which he lost), stopped by the bar, and had a shot of
Wild Turkey, and then headed outside where he was joined by several members of the Caesars staff, as well as two showgirls. After doing his normal pre-jump show and a few warm-up approaches, Knievel began his real approach. When he hit the takeoff ramp, he said later, he felt the motorcycle unexpectedly decelerate. The sudden loss of power on the takeoff caused Knievel to come up short and land on the safety ramp which was supported by a van. This caused the handlebars to be ripped out of his hands as he tumbled over them onto the pavement where he skidded into the
Dunes hotel parking lot. As a result of the crash, Knievel suffered a crushed pelvis and femur, fractures to his hip, wrist, and both ankles, and a concussion that kept him in the hospital. Rumors circulated that he was in a coma for 29 days in the hospital, but this was refuted by his wife and others in the documentary film
Being Evel. The Caesars Palace crash was Knievel's longest attempted motorcycle jump at 144 ft 6 in. After his crash and recovery, Knievel was more famous than ever. ABC declined to air the event live on
Wide World of Sports. The Caesars Palace historical jump video is now owned by K and K Promotions, Inc which is the successor in interest and owner of all Evel Knievel trademarks, film footage, and copyrights.
Insurance In a 1971 interview with
Dick Cavett, Knievel stated that he was uninsurable following the Caesars' crash, stating, "I have trouble getting life insurance, accident insurance, hospitalization and even insurance for my automobile... Lloyd's of London has rejected me 37 times so if you hear the rumor that they insure anybody, don't pay too much attention to it." Four years later, a clause in Knievel's contract to jump 14 buses at
Kings Island required a one-day $1million liability insurance to the amusement park. Lloyd's of London offered liability insurance for $17,500. Knievel eventually paid $2,500 to a U.S.-based insurance company. In 2015,
Doug Danger surpassed that number with 22 cars, accomplishing this feat on Evel Knievel's actual vintage 1972 Harley-Davidson XR-750. On May 10, 1970, Knievel crashed while attempting to jump 13
Pepsi delivery trucks in Yakima, WA. His approach was complicated by the fact that he had to start on pavement, cut across grass, and then return to pavement. His lack of speed caused the motorcycle to come down on its front wheel first. He managed to hold on until the cycle hit the base of the ramp. After being thrown off, he skidded for . He broke his collarbone, suffered a compound fracture of his right arm, and broke both legs. On March 3, 1972, at the
Cow Palace in
Daly City, California, after making a successful jump, he tried to come to a quick stop because of a short landing area. He reportedly suffered a broken back and a concussion after getting thrown off and run over by his motorcycle, a Harley-Davidson. Knievel returned to jumping in November 1973, when he successfully jumped over 50 stacked cars at the
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. For 35 years, Knievel held the record for jumping the most stacked cars on a Harley-Davidson XR-750 (the record was broken in October 2008). His XR-750 is now part of the collection of the
Smithsonian's
National Museum of American History. Made of steel, aluminum, and fiberglass, the customized motorcycle weighs about . During his career, Knievel may have suffered more than 433 bone fractures, earning an entry in the
Guinness Book of World Records as the survivor of "most bones broken in a lifetime".
Snake River Canyon jump in September 2010 ''
ABC's Wide World of Sports'' was unwilling to pay the price Knievel wanted for the
Snake River Canyon jump, so he hired boxing promoter
Bob Arum's company,
Top Rank Productions, to put the event on closed-circuit television and broadcast to movie Investors in the event took a substantial loss, including promoter DonE. Branker, as well as
Vince McMahon of what was then called the
World Wide Wrestling Federation. Arum partnered with Invest West Sports,
Shelly Saltman's company, to secure from Invest West Sports two things: first, the necessary financing for the jump, and second, the services of Saltman, long recognized as one of America's premier public relations and promotion men, to do publicity so that Knievel could concentrate on his jumps. Knievel hired aeronautical engineer
Doug Malewicki to build him a rocket-powered cycle to jump across the
Snake River, and called it the Skycycle X-1. Malewicki's creation was powered by a steam engine built by former
Aerojet engineer
Robert Truax. On April 15, 1972, the X-1 was launched to test the feasibility of the launching ramp. The decision was then made to have Truax build two
Skycycle X-2s, one to test and one for the actual jump. Both the X-1 and the X-2 test vehicles went into the river. The launch took place at the south rim of the Snake River Canyon, west of
Shoshone Falls, on September 8, 1974, at 3:36 p.m.
MDT. The steam that powered the engine was superheated to a temperature of . The
drogue parachute prematurely deployed as the Skycycle left the launching rail and induced significant
drag. Even though the craft made it across the canyon to the north rim, the prevailing northwest winds caused it to drift back into the canyon. By the time it hit the bottom of the canyon, it landed only a few feet from the water on the same side of the canyon from which it had been launched. If he had landed in the water, Knievel said that he would have drowned, due to a harness malfunction that kept him strapped in the vehicle. He survived the failed jump with only minor physical injuries. Since the 1974 launch, seven daredevils have expressed interest in recreating the jump, including Knievel's two sons, Robbie and Kelly. In 2010, Robbie announced he would recreate the jump. Stuntman
Eddie Braun announced he was working with Kelly and Robert Truax's son to recreate the jump using a replica of the Skycycle X-2. Braun's jump took place on September 16, 2016, and was completed successfully.
Wembley jump After the Snake River jump, Knievel returned to motorcycle jumping with ''
ABC's Wide World of Sports'' televising several jumps. On May 26, 1975, in front of 90,000 people at
Wembley Stadium in
London, Knievel crashed while trying to land a jump over 13 redundant single-deck
AEC Merlin buses (the term "London Buses" used in earlier publicity had led to the belief that the attempt was to be made over the higher and more traditional
AEC Routemaster double-decker type). After the crash, despite breaking his pelvis, Knievel addressed the audience and announced his retirement by stating, "Ladies and gentlemen of this wonderful country, I've got to tell you that you are the last people in the world who will ever see me jump. Because I will never, ever, ever jump again. I'm through." Near shock and ignoring
Frank Gifford's (of ''ABC's Wide World of Sports'') plea to use a stretcher, Knievel walked off the Wembley pitch stating, "I came in walking, I went out walking!"
Kings Island jump After recuperating, Knievel decided that he had spoken too soon and that he would continue jumping. On October 25, 1975, Knievel jumped 14
Greyhound buses at
Kings Island near
Cincinnati, Ohio. Although Knievel landed on the safety deck above the 14th bus, his landing was successful and he held the record for jumping the most buses on a
Harley-Davidson for 24 years (until broken by
Bubba Blackwell in late 1999 with 15 at ). The Kings Island event scored the highest viewer ratings in the history of ''ABC's Wide World of Sports'' and would serve as Knievel's longest successful jump at (although the
Caesars Palace jump was longer, it ended in a crash). In the end, Knievel was featured in seven of the ten highest-rated episodes of ''ABC's Wide World of Sports''. After the Kings Island jump, Knievel again announced his retirement. His retirement was once again short-lived, and Knievel continued to jump. However, after the lengthy Kings Island jump, Knievel limited the remainder of his career jumps to shorter and more attainable lengths. Knievel jumped on October 31, 1976, at the Seattle Kingdome. He jumped only seven Greyhound buses but it was a success. Despite the crowd's pleasure, Knievel felt that it was not his best jump, and apologized to the crowd.
Shark jump On January 31, 1977, Knievel was scheduled for a major jump in
Chicago,
Illinois. The jump was inspired by the 1975 film
Jaws. Knievel was scheduled to jump a tank full of live sharks which would be televised live nationally. However, during his rehearsal, Knievel lost control of the motorcycle and crashed into a cameraman. Although Knievel broke his arms, he was more distraught over what he claimed was a permanent eye injury to cameraman Thomas Geren. The cameraman was admitted to the hospital and received treatment for an injury near his eye, but received no permanent injury. The footage of this crash was so upsetting to Knievel that he did not show the clip for 19 years until the documentary
Absolute Evel: The Evel Knievel Story. Later that year on the sitcom
Happy Days, motorcycle-riding character
Fonzie (
Henry Winkler) performed a similar trick, albeit on waterskis, inspiring the creation of the phrase "
jump the shark." Afterward, Knievel retired from major performances and limited his appearances to smaller venues to help launch Robbie's career. His last stunt show, not including a jump, took place in March 1980 in Puerto Rico. However, Knievel would officially finish his career as a daredevil as a touring "companion" of Robbie's, limiting his performance to speaking only, rather than stunt riding. His final tour appearance with Robbie was in March 1981 in
Hollywood, Florida.
Feature movies: Evel Knievel and Viva Knievel! A 1971
biopic film,
Evel Knievel, fictionalized Knievel's life and exploits. Knievel, portrayed by
George Hamilton, calls himself "the last gladiator in the new Rome"; this was a nod to a January 1970
Esquire magazine article about the stunt rider, whose author, David Lyle, declared, "Evel Knievel [...] may be the last great gladiator." (Later, Knievel titled his 1988 self-produced documentary
Last of the Gladiators.) A higher end
B-movie,
Evel Knievel was a minor hit, taking in $4 million in rentals (equivalent to approximately $ in ) against a $450,000 budget. Knievel played himself in the 1977 American
action film Viva Knievel!, directed by
Gordon Douglas and co-starring
Gene Kelly and
Lauren Hutton, with an
ensemble supporting cast including
Red Buttons,
Leslie Nielsen,
Cameron Mitchell,
Frank Gifford,
Dabney Coleman and
Marjoe Gortner. The film premiered in June 1977, three months later Knievel and his associates attacked promoter
Shelly Saltman with an aluminum baseball bat on September 21, 1977. With Knievel losing most of his sponsorship and marketing deals as a result of the bad publicity,
Viva Knievel became much less commercially attractive, only opening in four further international markets after Knievel's conviction. In addition, the wholesome image of Knievel the movie promoted and the plot point concerning Knievel's promoter being corrupt seemed ill-judged in the light of the events that saw Knievel imprisoned.
Motorcycles Knievel briefly used a Honda 250cc motorcycle to jump a crate of rattlesnakes and two mountain lions, his first known jump. Knievel then used a
Norton Motorcycle Company 750cc for only one year, 1966. Between 1967 and 1968, Knievel jumped using the
Triumph Bonneville T120 (with a 650cc engine). Knievel used the Triumph at the Caesars Palace crash on New Year's Eve 1967. When Knievel returned to jumping after the crash, he used Triumph for the remainder of 1968. Attempting his jumps on motorcycles whose suspensions were designed primarily for street riding or flat track racing was a major factor in Knievel's many disastrous landings. The terrific forces these machines passed on to his body are well illustrated in the super slow-motion footage of his Caesars' landing. Between December 1969 and April 1970, Knievel used the
Laverda American Eagle 750 cc motorcycle. On December 12, 1970, Knievel would switch to the
Harley-Davidson XR-750, the motorcycle with which he is best known for jumping. Knievel would use the XR-750 in association with Harley-Davidson until 1977. However, after his 1977 conviction for the assault of Shelly Saltman, Harley-Davidson withdrew its sponsorship of Knievel. On September 8, 1974, Knievel attempted to jump the Snake River Canyon on a rocket-propelled motorcycle designed by former NASA engineer Robert Truax, dubbed the Skycycle X-2. The State of Idaho registered the X-2 as an airplane rather than a motorcycle. At the tail end of his career, while helping launch the career of his son, Robbie, Knievel returned to the Triumph T120. However, he used the bike only for wheelies and did not jump after retiring from the XR-750. Two variations of the white suit appeared (one with three stars across the chest and one with the three stars on his right chest). The latter was worn at the Caesars Palace jump. When Knievel switched to the
Laverda motorcycle in 1969, he switched his leathers to an All American Themed red-white-and-blue jumpsuit with an "X" across the chest. Later, Knievel adjusted the blue stripes to a V-shape (the first version of the V-shape was also used in the 1971 film's final jump). For the remainder of his career, variants of the V-shaped white-starred jumpsuit would be a constant, including a special nylon/canvas flight suit that matched his white leathers for the X-2 jump. Each variant would become more elaborate, including the addition of the red-white-blue cape and the Elvis-styled belt buckle with his initials, "EK". In 1975, Knievel premiered the blue leathers with red stars on the white stripes for the Wembley jump. He stated that, although he knew he might not successfully make a jump or even survive the canyon jump, he followed through with each stunt because he gave his word that he would. Before the canyon jump, Knievel stated, "If someone says to you, 'that guy should have never jumped the canyon. You knew if he did, that he'd lose his life and that he was crazy.' Do me a favor. Tell him that you saw me here and regardless of what I was, that you knew me, and that I kept my word." In
Last of the Gladiators, Knievel discussed the crash of a 1970
Pepsi-Cola sponsored jump in
Yakima, Washington. Knievel knew the jump was very questionable, but stated, "I went ahead and did it anyway. When you give your word to somebody that you're going to do something, you've gotta do it." In the 1971 biopic, George Hamilton (as Knievel) emphasizes in the opening monologue that a man does not go back on his word.
Anti-drug campaign Knievel would regularly share his anti-drug message, one of his core values. Knievel would preach an anti-drug message to children and adults before each of his stunts. Knievel regularly spoke out against the
Hells Angels due to their alleged involvement in the drug trade.
Motorcycle helmet safety Knievel was a proponent of motorcycle helmet safety. He constantly encouraged his fans to wear motorcycle helmets. The
Bell Star helmet he used in the Caesars Palace jump is credited for having saved Knievel's life after he fell off the motorcycle and struck his head on the ground. In 1987, Knievel supported a mandatory helmet bill in the State of California. During the Assembly Transportation Committee meeting, Knievel was introduced as "the best walking commercial for a helmet law." Evel claimed the main reason he was still alive and walking was that he wore a helmet.
Marketing image Knievel sought to make more money from his image. He was no longer satisfied with just receiving free motorcycles to jump with. Knievel wanted to be paid to use and promote a company's brand of motorcycles. After
Triumph, the British motorcycle brand he had been jumping with, refused to meet his demands (it was part of the bankrupt BSA group that was merged with Norton in 1972), Knievel started to propose the idea to other manufacturers.
American Eagle Motorcycles, the brand under which Italian
Laverda machines were sold in the US, was the first company to sign Knievel to an endorsement deal. Knievel then used the new lightweight racing motorcycle
Harley-Davidson XR-750 from December 1970 until his final jump in January 1977. At approximately the same time, Fanfare Films started production on the George Hamilton biopic (
Evel Knievel). Two other films about Knievel, a television pilot made in 1974 starring
Sam Elliott, and a made-for-TV film in 2004 starring
George Eads, were produced in later years. In 1974, Knievel and Amherst Records released at the
Sound City Studios the self-titled album
Evel Knievel, which included a press conference, an anti-drug talk for his young fans, and four other tracks. In 1972, Knievel appeared in the motorcycle safety film "
Not So Easy", together with
Easy Rider Peter Fonda. Knievel kept up his pursuit of the United States government to allow him to jump the Grand Canyon. To push his case, he hired famed San Francisco defense attorney
Melvin Belli to fight the legal battle for obtaining government permission. ''ABC's Wide World of Sports'' started showing Knievel's jumps on television regularly. His popularity, especially with young boys, was ever-increasing. He became a hero to a generation of young boys.
A. J. Foyt made Knievel part of his
pit crew for the
Indianapolis 500 in 1970. Evel Knievel's huge fame caused him to start traveling with bodyguards, who became life-long friends.
Ideal Toys Between 1972 and 1977,
Ideal Toy Company released a series of Evel Knievel-related merchandise, designed initially by Joseph M. Burck of
Marvin Glass and Associates. During the six years the toys were manufactured, Ideal claimed to have sold more than $125million worth of Knievel toys. The toys included the original 1972 figures, which offered various outfits and accessories. In 1973, Ideal released the Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle. After the release of the Stunt Cycle, the Knievel toys were the best-selling item for Ideal. During the next four years, Ideal Toys released various models relating to Knievel's touring stunt show. The models included a Robbie Knievel doll, the Scramble Van, The Canyon Sky Cycle, a Dragster, a Stunt Car, and the Evel Knievel The Stunt World. Additionally, Ideal released non-Knievel-touring toys, including a Chopper Motorcycle, a Trail Bike, and a female counterpart, Derry Daring. The last item marketed by Ideal Toys before it discontinued the distribution of Knievel toys was the Strato-Cycle, based on the film
Viva Knievel!. In 1977,
Bally marketed its Knievel pinball machine as the "first fully electronic commercial game"; it has elsewhere been described as one of the "last of the classic pre-digital games." (Both electromechanical and solid-state versions were produced. The electromechanical version is extremely rare, with only 155 made.)
Other television appearances In the 1970s, Knievel partnered with
AMF to release a series of bicycles, marketed with TV ads. Though Knievel had no involvement, a 30-minute
ABC Saturday morning animated series
Devlin produced by
Hanna-Barbera aired in the fall of 1974. The series, inspired by his popularity, featured stunt motorcyclists. Knievel made several television appearances, including frequently as a guest on talk shows such as
Dinah! and
Johnny Carson's
Tonight Show. In 1977, he made a guest spot on
The Bionic Woman, where he played himself, getting inadvertently caught up in
East German espionage while appearing in
West Germany. Actual footage from Evel's L.A. Coliseum jump over crushed cars was used at the beginning of the episode, and an indoor jump over eleven cars and one van was used at the end of the show. Also in 1977,
Warner Bros. released
Viva Knievel!. This movie starred Knievel as himself and co-starred
Gene Kelly,
Lauren Hutton, and
Red Buttons. Similar to
The Bionic Woman, actual Wembley footage was used in the film. In addition, the 1999 children's TV series
Hilltop Hospital featured a character based on Knievel called Weasel Kneasel, who was the focus of an episode of the same name. In Disney/Pixar's
Toy Story 4, a character named Duke Caboom (voiced by
Keanu Reeves) was partially based on the Evel Knievel toy. On September 23, 2020, Knievel's son Kelly and K&K Promotions filed a lawsuit against Disney and Pixar, claiming Duke was created illegally using Knievel's likeness.
Assault conviction, jail, and bankruptcy While Knievel was healing from injuries sustained from the Chicago jump, the book
Evel Knievel on Tour was released. Written by Knievel's promoter for the Snake River Canyon jump,
Shelly Saltman, the book painted him as "an alcoholic, a pill addict, an anti-Semite and an immoral person" through tape-recorded interviews done of Knievel and others. Knievel, with both arms still in casts, flew to California to confront Saltman, by then a vice president at
20th Century Fox. On September 21, 1977, outside the studio commissary, one of Knievel's friends grabbed Saltman and held him, while Knievel attacked him with an aluminum baseball bat, declaring "I'm going to kill you!" According to a witness to the attack, Knievel struck repeated blows at Saltman's head, with Saltman blocking the blows with his left arm. Saltman's arm and wrist were shattered in several places before he fell to the ground unconscious. Numerous surgeries were done to the shattered arm that resulted in Saltman having a steel plate and screws. After the Saltman assault and subsequent jail time, Knievel lost his marketing endorsements and deals, including Harley-Davidson and Ideal Toys. With no income from jumping or sponsorships, Knievel eventually declared bankruptcy. In 1981, Saltman was awarded a $12.75million judgment against Knievel in a civil trial, but he never received any money from either Knievel or Knievel's estate. Knievel expressed no remorse for the attack, once calling it "frontier justice".
Marriages and children Knievel was married twice. He and his wife Linda were married for 38 years. During their marriage, the couple had four children, including
Robbie. Throughout Kelly's and Robbie's adolescence, they performed at Knievel's stunt shows. Into adulthood, Robbie continued to perform as a professional motorcycle daredevil. After Evel's death, Kelly has overseen the Knievel legacy, including developing Knievel-related products and assisting Harley-Davidson to develop a museum exhibit. Knievel's courtship and marriage to Linda was the theme of the biopic 1971 film
Evel Knievel. Linda and Evel were divorced in 1997 in San Jose, California. A municipal judge ordered Evel to stand trial for a weapons possession charge in 1994. Knievel was arrested in October at a Sunnyvale go-go bar on suspicion of battering his girlfriend, 25-year-old Krystal Kennedy of Florida. Sunnyvale police later discovered two handguns and some ammunition in the trunk of his car. The battering charge was dropped when Kennedy declined to cooperate. In 1999, Knievel married his girlfriend, Krystal Kennedy of Clearwater, Florida, whom he began dating in 1992. The wedding was held on November 19, 1999, on a special platform built on the fountains at Caesars Palace on the
Las Vegas Strip (site of Evel's jump New Year's Eve 1967). Long-time friend
Engelbert Humperdinck sent a recorded tribute to the couple. The couple was married for two years, divorcing in 2001. Following the divorce, Krystal Knievel was granted a restraining order against him. However, Krystal and Evel would work out their differences, living together until Knievel's death. According to the investment magazine,
Registered Rep., Knievel left his entire estate to Krystal.
Post-daredevil years During the 1980s, Knievel drove around the country in a
recreational vehicle, selling works of art allegedly painted by him. While Knievel's original dream of having all his significant memorabilia being centralized would go unfulfilled, a few public museums were opened in his honor, including the
Evel Knievel Museum in
Topeka, Kansas, which has the official approval of the Knievel estate. On October 9, 2005, Knievel promoted his last public "motorcycle ride" at the
Milwaukee Harley-Davidson dealership. The ride was to benefit victims of
Hurricane Katrina. Although he was originally scheduled to lead a benefit ride through Milwaukee, Knievel never rode the motorcycle because he suffered a mild (non-debilitating) stroke before the appearance and limited his visit to a signing session.
Evel Knievel: The Rock Opera In 2003, Knievel signed over exclusive rights to Los Angeles composer Jef Bek, authorizing the production of a rock opera based on Knievel's life. Directed by
Bat Boy co-creator Keythe Farley, the production opened in Los Angeles in September 2007 to some positive reviews.
Six Flags Evel Knievel roller coaster Knievel had partnered with
Six Flags St. Louis to name a new wooden coaster after "America's Legendary Daredevil". The amusement park in
Eureka, Missouri, outside of
St. Louis, Missouri, opened the ride on June 20, 2008.
The Evel Knievel Roller Coaster operated for three seasons before being renamed
American Thunder in 2011.
Declining health In the late 1990s, Knievel required a life-saving liver transplant as a result of suffering the long-term effects of
hepatitis C, which he contracted from one of the numerous blood transfusions he received before 1992. In February 1999, Knievel was given only a few days to live and he requested to leave the hospital and die at his home. En route to his home, Knievel received a phone call from the hospital stating a young man had died in a motorcycle accident and could be a donor. Days later, Knievel received the transplant. On July 27, 2006, he appeared on
The Adam Carolla Show and discussed his health problems. The following day, he appeared on stage with Robbie at
Evel Knievel Days in Butte, marking the last performance in which the two appeared together. Robbie jumped in a tribute to his father on a much lighter motorcycle with far superior suspension. Shortly before his death, Evel Knievel was featured in a
BBC Two Christmas special presented by
Richard Hammond. The 60-minute program
Richard Hammond Meets Evel Knievel aired on December 23, 2007, less than a month after Knievel's death. The documentary was filmed in July 2007 at the annual "Evel Knievel Days" festival in his old hometown of Butte.
Christian conversion On April 1, 2007, Knievel appeared on
Robert H. Schuller's television program
Hour of Power and announced that he "believed in
Jesus Christ" for the first time. At his request, he was baptized at a televised congregation at the
Crystal Cathedral by Schuller. Knievel's televised testimony triggered mass baptisms at the Crystal Cathedral. == Death ==