5 Things To Know – Hollywood Life

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• Robbie Knievel was a daredevil stuntman, following in the famous footsteps of his father, Evel Knievel
• He admittingly struggled with substance abuse disorder, and was arrested for multiple DUIs
• Robbie died following a battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 60 in January 2023

Robbie Knievel faced his toughest challenge battling pancreatic cancer, which sadly resulted in his death in January 2023 at the age of 60. The daredevil son of motorcycle stuntman Evel Knievel succumbed to the disease after spending three days in hospice. Robbie had followed in his father’s footsteps and became just as famous for his jaw-dropping motorcycle jumping acts. “Daredevils don’t live easy lives,” brother Kelly Knievel told CBS News at the time of Robbie’s passing. “But it’s what they do.” He added, “He was a great daredevil. If you look at his jumps, that’s what he should be known for. It’s what he loved doing.” With that said, let’s take a closer look at Robbie’s jumps, as well as his life, below.

Robbie was born into daredevil royalty

Robbie was welcomed by Evel Knievel (born Robert Craig Knievel) and his first wife Linda on May 7, 1962 in Montana. Around the same time, Evel debuted his daredevil act and was on his way to becoming a household name as a stuntman and performer. The patriarch’s biggest moment came when he attempted to jump the fountains at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas in 1967. It was a huge fail, resulting in a crash and hospitalization, but it didn’t stop Evel from continuing on. After a few record-breaking jumps, and a movie, Evel eventually retired and died in 2007 in Florida at the age of 69 after years of battling diabetes and pulmonary fibrosis, per CBS News. Robbie had continued to pay tribute to him by sharing sweet snaps of the pair to his Instagram over the years.

He started jumping his bike as a kid

The apple sure didn’t fall far from the tree, as Robbie began training for his career as a stuntman at the ripe old age of 8. Starting off by jumping his bicycle, he soon moved to motorcycles with guidance from his father, per Biography. Robbie then began appearing alongside his father at stunt shows at Madison Square Garden and other venues.

Robbie holds 20 world records

Robbie held his own in the stuntman arena, with 350 career jumps and 20 world records, according to his biography on his official website. Included in the list was a 1998 jump in Las Vegas’ Tropicana Hotel and a jump of 228 feet over a portion of the Grand Canyon, which his father had wanted a go at, but was denied by the National Park Service at the time, per Biography. Robbie even went back and completed the Caesar’s Palace fountain jump after his father’s fail! Watch below!

He admitted to suffering from substance abuse disorder

Robbie had a difficult road battling alcohol. He was arrested for a DUI in 2013 after driving his vehicle into a motor home. Following the arrest, Robbie called up TMZ and said he was struggling. “I’m a frickin’ drinking, driving daredevil,’ he said on the live show. “I ride motorcycles and I friggn’ drink and ride … that’s my deal.” He sadly added, “I shouldn’t be drinking and driving ’cause I could kill somebody, and you know what, it would be better if I killed myself.”

Two years later, Robbie was arrested again under the suspicion of a DUI. He had rear-ended a car, causing a pileup in Butte, Montana.

Robbie had his daughters by his side when he died

While several outlets report Robbie was the father of only two daughters named Krysten and Karmen, his brother Kelly revealed there was a third daughter calling Robbie “dad.” When Kelly spoke with CBS News following Robbie’s death, he explained, “It was expected. He was in Reno with his three daughters by his side.”

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