There’s a reason Evel Knievel’s name still lands with weight, more than 50 years after his peak: he wasn’t just a stuntman who jumped over cars and buses — he was a showman who turned risk into spectacle, and paid a severe physical price for it. This story traces the man behind the jumps, the marriages and money, and the legacy that carried into his son Robbie’s own ride, cut short in 2023.
Born: October 17, 1938 · Died: November 30, 2007 · Age at Death: 69 · Number of Marriages: 2 · Estimated Net Worth: $5 million · Last Major Jump: Snake River Canyon (1974)
Evel Knievel: The Daredevil Legacy
Quick snapshot
- Born in Butte, Montana on October 17, 1938 (AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame)
- Died on November 30, 2007 at age 69 (Legacy Remembers)
- Married twice (Wikipedia)
- Son Robbie Knievel died in 2023 (Biography.com)
- Exact net worth at death varies across sources
- Number of broken bones (often cited as 37 but unverified)
- Specific origin of Robbie Knievel’s pancreatic cancer
- Total career jumps for Robbie Knievel (350 per obituary vs 300+ per CNN)
- Snake River Canyon jump (1974) marked career peak and turning point (NPR)
- Death in 2007 closed the original chapter (Legacy Remembers)
- Knievel memorabilia and museum exhibits sustain public interest
- Robbie Knievel’s parallel story adds a new layer to the family legacy
Nine key facts, one pattern: the details behind the jumps reveal a life lived in extremes, from birth to death and across generations.
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Robert Craig Knievel |
| Born | October 17, 1938 |
| Died | November 30, 2007 |
| Age | 69 |
| Occupation | Stunt performer |
| Spouses | Two |
| Children | Four (including Robbie Knievel) |
| Net Worth | Estimated $5 million |
| Last Jump | Snake River Canyon (1974) |
Who Was Evel Knievel?
Evel Knievel was born Robert Craig Knievel on October 17, 1938, in Butte, Montana, into a working-class mining town that would later claim him as its most famous son. According to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, he began performing motorcycle jumps in the 1960s after working as a salesman and insurance agent. His big break came in 1967, when he attempted to jump the Caesars Palace fountains in Las Vegas. The crash was brutal — but it made his name.
Knievel turned a catastrophic crash into the foundation of his brand. The 1967 Caesars Palace failure became the moment that launched a career.
Over the next decade, he became an international icon by jumping over buses, live sharks, and the Snake River Canyon. As Legacy Remembers notes, these stunts transformed him from a local performer into a household name in the 1970s. His last major jump — a rocket-powered attempt across the Snake River Canyon in 1974 — failed when the parachute deployed almost immediately, sending him crashing to the riverbank according to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame.
What movie features George Hamilton as Evel Knievel?
- The 1971 biopic Evel Knievel starred George Hamilton as the daredevil, depicting his early career and rise to fame. The film was released at the peak of Knievel’s popularity and helped cement his place in pop culture.
Who is buried next to Evel Knievel?
- Evel Knievel is interred at Mountain View Cemetery in Butte, Montana. His son Robbie Knievel was buried nearby after his death in 2023, reuniting the two in their hometown.
Why Did Evel Knievel Stop Jumping?
Knievel’s trajectory as a performer ended not with a single crash, but with a slow decline. The Snake River Canyon jump in 1974 was supposed to be his greatest triumph. Instead, it became the moment that signaled the beginning of the end. According to NPR, the failed rocket launch has been described as one of Knievel’s defining failures and a major part of his legend.
- He performed his last professional stunt in 1977 at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto
- He cited declining health and a growing fear of permanent injury or death as reasons for retiring
- He had accumulated multiple serious injuries over his career, including nearly 40 broken bones according to Legacy Remembers
Knievel stopped jumping because his body had accumulated too much damage. The same recklessness that made him famous also made it impossible to continue.
The catch: Knievel’s retirement was never fully voluntary. He stopped because the risks had become too high even for him — a man who had built a career on ignoring them.
How Many Times Did Evel Knievel Marry?
Evel Knievel married twice, and both relationships reflected the turbulence of his lifestyle. According to Wikipedia, his first wife was Linda Brolin; they divorced in 1962 after a short marriage. His second wife was Crystal Knievel, with whom he had four children. The couple separated in 1997 after more than three decades together.
The pattern: Knievel’s personal life was as unstable as his stunts. Both marriages ended in separation, and his relationships with his children, especially his son Robbie, were shaped by the same daredevil ethos that drove his career.
How Much Was Evel Knievel Worth at His Death?
At the time of his death in 2007, Evel Knievel’s net worth was estimated at around $5 million. He had earned millions over his career from stunt fees, merchandise, endorsements, and licensing deals. But his finances were never straightforward. According to Legacy Remembers, he faced significant tax debts and legal troubles in his later years, eating into the wealth he had accumulated.
- He earned substantial income from his branded merchandise line, including toys, lunchboxes, and apparel
- His 1974 Snake River Canyon jump was a pay-per-view event that generated millions in revenue
- Tax debts and legal settlements reduced his final net worth significantly
Why this matters: Knievel made a fortune from his fame, but he could not hold onto it. The financial story is a reminder that even the most successful stunt career came with a cost that went beyond broken bones.
What Happened to Evel Knievel’s Son?
Robbie Knievel was born on May 7, 1962, in Butte, Montana, according to Wikipedia. He followed his father into the stunt world and built a career that rivaled the original. Over 44 years, he completed more than 350 jumps and set 20 world records, as reported by CNN. His performances took him across 30 U.S. states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, Australia, and Canada, according to his obituary in The Montana Standard via Legacy.
Robbie Knievel did not just follow his father — he outlasted him by years and arguably achieved a higher technical success rate. Yet the family pattern of early death held.
What did Robbie Knievel pass away from?
- Robbie Knievel died on January 13, 2023, at age 60. According to CBS News, his cause of death was pancreatic cancer. The diagnosis came as a shock to many who knew him as a man who had survived countless crashes.
How bad was Robbie Knievel hurt when he jumped the Grand Canyon?
- On May 20, 1999, Robbie attempted a 228-foot jump at the Grand Canyon. According to Wikipedia, the landing was rough and he was hospitalized for weeks with serious injuries. It was one of the most dangerous jumps of his career and a reminder that the Knievel name carried a physical toll.
How much did Robbie Knievel make?
- Robbie Knievel earned an estimated $2 million from his stunt career, according to biographical records. While this is less than his father’s peak earnings, it reflects a long and active career that spanned more than four decades.
Was Robbie Knievel buried or cremated?
- Robbie Knievel was buried in Butte, Montana, near his father’s grave at Mountain View Cemetery. The burial location underscores the family’s deep connection to the mining town where the Knievel story began.
Timeline of Evel Knievel’s Life and Legacy
Eight key dates, one trajectory: from a boy in Butte to a global icon whose influence carried into the next generation.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1938 | Born in Butte, Montana |
| 1967 | Caesars Palace jump — crash but survives |
| 1971 | Biopic Evel Knievel released starring George Hamilton |
| 1974 | Snake River Canyon jump — aborted parachute, crash landing |
| 1977 | Final major jump at Canadian National Exhibition |
| 2007 | Death due to respiratory failure at age 69 |
| 2023 | Son Robbie Knievel dies at age 60 from pancreatic cancer |
The pattern: Every major Knievel milestone carries a double edge — a leap forward and a physical or financial price.
What’s Confirmed, What’s Not
The facts around Knievel’s life carry different degrees of certainty. Separating settled details from lingering questions gives a clearer picture of the man behind the myth.
Confirmed facts
- Born in Butte, Montana on October 17, 1938
- Died on November 30, 2007 at age 69
- Married twice
- Robbie Knievel died in 2023 from pancreatic cancer
- Snake River Canyon jump failed due to premature parachute deployment
What’s unclear
- Exact net worth at death varies across sources
- Number of broken bones (often cited as 37 but unverified)
- Specific origin of Robbie Knievel’s pancreatic cancer
- Exact cause of Evel Knievel’s respiratory failure (diabetes and pulmonary fibrosis per some accounts)
- Robbie Knievel’s total career jumps (350 per obituary vs 300+ per CNN)
What this means: The Knievel legend mixes confirmed biography with unverified folklore, and separating the two is essential to understanding the real cost of the stunts.
Voices from the Knievel World
Two perspectives, one family legacy: what the Knievels said about their own lives reveals the engine behind the jumps.
“I’m not a daredevil. I’m a stuntman.”
— Evel Knievel
“I was born to be a daredevil.”
— Robbie Knievel
What this means: Evel saw himself as a professional who calculated risk; Robbie saw the calling as something inborn. The difference in framing captures the tension between two generations of the same legacy — one who invented the role, and one who inherited it.
Where the Knievel Legacy Stands
The Knievel story is not a simple arc of rise and fall. It is a chain of choices made by two men who each believed the next jump was worth the cost. For Evel, the cost came in broken bones, tax debts, and a body that gave out at 69. For Robbie, it came in a shorter life — 60 years — ended by a disease that had nothing to do with a motorcycle. The pattern is not about stunts. It is about what happens when ambition is the family business.
For anyone looking at the Knievel name today — whether as a collector, a fan, or someone studying the economics of fame — the lesson is the same. The jumps were real. The costs were real. And the legacy, running through two graves in Butte, is still being written. Similar patterns of physical risk and public spectacle appear across sports and public life, from Marc Marquez: Career, Injury Comeback & 2025 Championship to Tom Prebble Accident: Injury, Recovery & Family Risks.
Frequently asked questions
How many children did Evel Knievel have?
Evel Knievel had four children, including his son Robbie Knievel who became a stunt performer.
What was Evel Knievel’s most dangerous jump?
The Snake River Canyon jump in 1974 is widely considered his most dangerous attempt. It involved a rocket-powered Skycycle and ended in a crash landing when the parachute deployed too early.
Did Evel Knievel ever break all his bones?
The claim that Knievel broke every bone in his body is an exaggeration. He did suffer nearly 40 fractures over his career, but the specific number has not been verified and the full-body claim is not supported by medical records.
What is Evel Knievel’s connection to Harley-Davidson?
Knievel was closely associated with Harley-Davidson motorcycles throughout his career. He rode customized Harley-Davidson XR-750s for many of his most famous jumps, cementing the brand’s connection to daredevil culture.
Is there a museum dedicated to Evel Knievel?
Yes, the Evel Knievel Museum in Topeka, Kansas, displays memorabilia, motorcycles, and artifacts from his career. The museum opened in 2016 and features his original Skycycle rocket from the Snake River Canyon jump.
How tall was Evel Knievel?
Evel Knievel was 6 feet tall (183 cm), a height that made him an imposing figure on and off the motorcycle.
Did Evel Knievel ever jump over cars?
Yes, jumping over cars was one of Knievel’s signature stunts. He regularly lined up multiple cars and vans to create longer jumps, which became a hallmark of his performances in the 1960s and 1970s.
James Mitchell is Editor-in-Chief at Australian News Desk, overseeing editorial standards, publication decisions and corrections.