According to his website (and now, these wire service reports), Robert Craig "Evel" Knievel, the motorcycle-jumping daredevil of the1960 and 70s whose flamboyant, patriotically decorated jumpsuits were nearly as thrilling as his breathtaking leaps across the Caesar's Palace fountains or the Snake River Canyon, has passed at the age of 69. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with his legendary body of work, our customary posthumous search for tribute material instantly yielded this musical montage celebrating the icon's stunts, allowing us to remember him in the gravity-defying fashion in which he lived.

1:30 PM on Fri Nov 30 2007
By Mark
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12 comments

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blackheartededitor at 02:14 PM on 11/30/07
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He died as he lived...jumping a wheelchair over thirty flaming hospital beds. R.I.P. Evel.
Her Royal Empress Dr.... at 02:23 PM on 11/30/07
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Connectedness Index: 192

Maybe it was because I was just the right impressionable age, but that feeling of anticipation with the build-up of publicity (back before they sold advertising space in your dreams), and you know Happy Days was on the air, and the Lawrence Welk show and I had a big crush on Liberace too--anyway, the days would count down and you'd turn on the TV and inside be all, can he do it?!?! and then he made it look so easy that it was kind of a letdown. I think it was when he jumped all the buses.

Thank god because I would have been mighty scarred by seeing every bone in his body break with whatever was that previous jump.

Evel, you were the man! Some of the last true thrills...
The Closer at 02:33 PM on 11/30/07
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Ture Confession--I liked it when he crashed. Thanks for the thrills Evel.
Tiger_Tanaka at 02:34 PM on 11/30/07
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He also made the coolest toy of all time:

[www.backtobasicstoys.com]

and I'm still torn up about the Snake River jump.
WendyKroy at 03:44 PM on 11/30/07
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I bet Kanye's lawyers are wishing they'd dragged out settlement negotiations just a little bit longer...
writers-block at 03:57 PM on 11/30/07
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Rest in peace Evil Knievel.
:_(

Now JUMP THE CHASM FROM HELL TO HEAVEN AND SHOW'EM HOW IT'S DONE!
FreedomFries at 04:48 PM on 11/30/07
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RIP, Evel. You were THE true showman of my childhood. I dedicate this weekend's drinking to you.

And god how I wish I still owned your toys or lunch boxes...
Cacafuego at 04:52 PM on 11/30/07
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He was the original inspiration for Johnny "Ghost Rider" Blaze and a score of other, lesser fictional and real-life bastard clones--including Super Dave.
Pomalina at 05:56 PM on 11/30/07
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@Bufflekins: Speaking of Happy Days...You know you're cool when The Fonz copies you. Remember when he did he jumped over sharks (?) on water skis and a truck in Al's parking lot? Waaaaay cool.
Her Royal Empress Dr.... at 03:46 PM on 12/01/07
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@Pomalina: Remember? That's the origin of the phrase "jumped the shark"! Thank Evel for that one too.
Miss d at 05:44 PM on 12/02/07
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It was a happy day when I made a Knievel jumpsuit for my favorite Barbie...
scroll_lock at 12:03 PM on 12/03/07
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From the looks of that photo, Paul Newman will be great in the biopic.