• AWFUL ANNOUNCING doesn’t remember much of the man (and neither do I, I just wasn’t old enough), but a lot of other people do, and had plenty to say.

(He’s all gone.)

Read more…

EVEL KNIEVEL MAKES ONE LAST JUMP INTO THE HEAVENS: Evel Knievel has made his last great jump into the afterlife, as the legendary daredevil passed away Friday at his Florida home:

The ASSOCIATED PRESS reports the 69-year-old Knievel had trouble breathing and died before an ambulance could reach him at his Clearwater condominium.Knievel was a staple of ’70s culture - bedecked in his red, white & blue cape & helmet, as he jumped over buses and Snake River Canyon to the amusement of millions.

But his health had deteriorated in recent years, as he suffered from diabetes and pulmonary fibrosis, and underwent a liver transplant in 1999.

Just a couple days before, Knievel had settled a lawsuit with Kanye West over his image appearing in the rapper’s video for “Touch the Sky“.Evel also had his moments during appearances on the Jim Rome show. In May 2002, Rome asked Knievel why he did the 1974 Snake River Canyon jump, knowing he had a 50-50 chance to survive. Evel responded, “Do you know who the hell I am?”

And in 2003, Knievel admitted that he owned a diamond- encrusted cane that doubled as a flask for Wild Turkey.