Inside Evel Knievel’s relationship with fearless son Robbie: Duo shared a strong love for stunts
BUTTE, MONTANA: The legendary Robert, also known as Kaptain Robbie, died at the age of 60 after battling pancreatic cancer. Evel Knievel's son Robbie was a well-known stuntman and did not fail to follow in his father's footsteps. Knievel died in 2007 due to pulmonary disease. While the two did not get along well all the time, the love they shared for stunts kept the going.
The 60-year-old stuntman's brother, Kelly Knievel, told CBS News, "It was expected. He was in Reno with his three daughters by his side." Robbie wrote an essay for Fatherly in 2019 detailing his relationship with the daredevil father who attempted more than 75 ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps. He writes how one of the earliest memories he had of his father was on an LA racetrack where he could see the motorcycles speed past him. Robbie writes, "He disciplined me the most, since I was the rebel. I was the one constantly challenging him and emulating him." He was as relentless as his father and shared the same love for stunts. Once Evel Knievel realized his son was not going to stop, he put him on the show so he could over his son.
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Robbie continues, "It was great. At age 8, I performed my first show with him at Madison Square Garden. Then I went on tour with him, doing wheelie shows before his big jumps, where I rode around on my back tire for the crowds. Soon I had my own action figure as part of the Evel Knievel toy line." Robbie drove his first 62-foot “Big Red” flatbed trailer at the age of 14.
Inside Evel Knievel and son Robbie's relationship
Robbie writes, "The good times didn’t last. As a teenager, I argued a lot with my dad and got in some trouble, spending some time living away from home. At age 19, I moved out for good and embarked my solo career. My dad struggled with the idea of passing the baton to me." The father-son relationship could not blossom as Robbie thinks his father thought of him as a competition. He continues, "He saw me as one of the many competitors who were trying to out-jump him, but in reality I was his biggest fan. Still, even during our time apart, his lessons stayed with me."
Even though the relationship between them was strained, they never truly drifted apart. The love they shared for what they did kept the fire alive and they would always remain in touch. Robbie, remembering his father, writes, "Even during our time apart, his lessons stayed with me." He continues, "When we’d talk on the phone, he’d ask me, 'Are you using a safety deck?' and 'Is your bike running right?' He’d seen other guys emulate him and end up paralyzed or killed, and I think he worried that if that ever happened to me, it would be on him.
He concludes by writing, "Like my father, I suffered numerous broken bones, many difficult surgeries, and several crushed vertebrae. I am lucky I am still able to walk. During the last few years of my father’s life, we spent a lot of time together. We reminisced about the crazy lives we’d lived, and how lucky we’d been time and time again. I’d say to him, 'I love you, Dad', and he’d tell me, 'I love you, too, Rob'."