Son says LV was part of icon’s spirit

Like the dusty desert town that grew into a gambling mecca, iconic daredevil Evel Knievel defied the odds and found overwhelming success doing it his way, his son said.

"He loved Las Vegas. It was part of his spirit. Risk-taking and big things," Kelly Knievel said Friday afternoon from his Las Vegas home.

Evel Knievel died early Friday at age 69.

The legendary stuntman will be forever linked to Las Vegas by his jump over the Caesars Palace fountains on Dec. 31, 1967. The jump launched him 150 feet through the air, but he couldn't stick the landing and was tossed onto the pavement.

The impact shattered his pelvis, broke his hip, fractured his right femur, and he spent a month in a coma at Southern Nevada Memorial Hospital, now called University Medical Center.

"We are deeply saddened by the news of Evel's passing," said Gary Selesner, Caesars Palace president. "He was a daredevil's daredevil, and a gentlemen with a heart of gold. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends."

Twenty-two years after his father's failed jump, Robbie Knievel followed in his footsteps to become the first person to successfully clear the famous fountains.

Evel Knievel returned to the fountains in 1999 to marry Krystal Kennedy. The couple split their time living in Clearwater, Fla., and his hometown of Butte, Mont., but he always returned to Las Vegas a couple times a year, Kelly Knievel said.

He loved the city because he could gamble, golf and visit old friends, he said. Despite Evel Knievel's fame, he passed on the glitzy Strip hotels, and stayed in his motor home at Circus Circus and, in recent years, Sam's Town, Kelly Knievel said.

Another of Evel Knievel's famous stunts had a Las Vegas connection, even though it took place in Twin Falls, Idaho.

Days before his rocketbike jump over the Snake River Canyon, Evel Knievel bet tennis pro Bobby Riggs $25,000 that he couldn't ride a motorcycle from Las Vegas to Idaho in time for the stunt.

Riggs, who had never ridden a motorcycle much more than around the block, hopped on a bike at the Tropicana and headed north. Three days and 646 miles later, he arrived in Twin Falls to collect his money.

Las Vegas also meant legal troubles for Evel Knievel.

After the Caesars Palace crash, Southern Nevada Memorial Hospital hired a collection agency to collect on a $2,250 medical bill he didn't pay.

In 2005 he faced a federal breach of contract lawsuit that claimed he reneged on a 1982 contract that gave away his rights to future performances, his likeness and life story.

The lawsuit was pending.

In recent years there had been talk of an Evel Knievel museum in Las Vegas, but it didn't get off the ground because he didn't think the plans were grandiose enough to carry his name, Kelly Knievel said.

And his name still resonates with the public nearly three decades since his last stunt.

Kelly Knievel said he has received thousands of e-mails, letters and phone calls from Evel Knievel fans.

"It's just amazing the number of people he touched," he said.

Contact reporter Brian Haynes at bhaynes@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-0281.