Evel Knievel is dead. For late baby bloomers and whatever the hell my generation is called, Evel was a legend of mythical status. Perhaps it's because we saw ABC shows with him jumping cars, or rocketing across the Snake River Canyon. Heck, the ultimate 70s idol (Fonzie, as if you had to ask) did stunts that were based off of Evel. All the other stuff (hitting the jukebox for a song, the girls, "ay ...") was all within Evel's powers, I'm certain.
What I remember most was a toy that I - and all other boys I knew - had when growing up. Basically it was Evel on a motorcycle with a handcrank, which allowed you to power him up to jump whatever you wanted. Hours of fun for a little kid, and there was no computer screen to look at.
Now one of my childhood idols is dead. Weren't John Denver and Mr. Rogers enough? Next thing you know they'll be telling me Dan Fogelberg is dead. Or all of the people from "The Electric Company".
Why couldn't it be Joanie and Chachi instead?
It'll be interesting to see how much media attention Evel's death gets. I suspect it will be more than you'd think.
