Robbie Knievel, the son of the legendary daredevil Evel Knievel, has died from cancer at the age of 60.
Robbie - who also went by the moniker 'Kaptain Robbie Knievel' - was a storied and respected daredevil in his own right, performing more than 350 motorcycle jumps and breaking several world records in the process.
Knievel was reportedly in a hospice at the time of his death, where he had been staying due to his illness.
Robbie went into his famous father’s footsteps from a very young age, performing his first ever motorcycle jump at the age of just four and performing alongside his dad – who was really called Robert Craig Knievel – at New York’s Madison Square Gardens when he was only eight.
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He began touring properly with his dad when he was 12, never graduating from high school – not that this held him back in his career at all.
A disagreement with his father about the length he should have been jumping – he wanted further – followed, though he started his solo career with Evel’s blessing.
Throughout a stellar career, Robbie became known for his Honda CR5000 motocross bikes that were specifically designed for jumping, as opposed to his father’s signature Harley-Davidson.
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He made a habit of taking on jumps that his father had attempted in the past, notably successfully jumping over the fountain at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, a feat that his father tried and failed in 1967.
Robbie also jumped over the Snake River Canyon on an X-2 Skycycle – which is a type of rocket.
Robbie’s last televised jump came in 2008 when he performed a 200-foot jump outside the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas on New Year’s Eve.
His last ever jump was performed in Coachella, with Knievel flying his motorbike over a number of tractor trailers – 46 metres of them – landing on a ramp at the far side.
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Robbie also starred in several TV shows, including Knievel’s Wild Ride and Hollywood Stunts.
He also owned a custom shop in New Jersey called Knievel’s Custom Cycles, selling off motorcycles and other related goods and clothing.
Evel Knievel died back in 2007 after suffering with pulmonary disease, he was 69-years-old.
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He famously spoke about his career in motorcycle jumping with characteristic wit, telling Esquire magazine: “Anybody can jump a motorcycle. The trouble begins when you try to land it.”
Tom Wood