Evel Knievel dead

Evel Knievel, the hard-living motorcycle daredevil whose jumps over Greyhound buses, live sharks and Idaho's Snake River Canyon made him an international icon in the 1970s, died Friday. He was 69. He had been ill for years due to contracting Hepatitis C from a blood transfusion 15 years ago, and also suffered from diabetes and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Knievel's death was confirmed by his granddaughter, Krysten Knievel.

Gary Bettenhausen Photo courtesy IMS

Evel sponsored the entry driven by popular veteran Gary Bettenhausen in the 1977 Indianapolis 500.

Bettenhausen started 21st and finished 16th in the No. 98 Agajanian/Evel Knievel Dragon/Offy, dropping out with clutch problems after completing 138 laps.

Bettenhausen's car was painted in the familiar red, white and blue, star-spangled paint scheme that Knievel used on his motorcycle during his daring jumps over such landmarks as the fountain at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. Bettenhausen's racing suit also resembled the famous leathers worn by Knievel during his stunts.

The colorful, outspoken Knievel captured the attention of the world during the 1970s through his death-defying motorcycle jumps. Perhaps his most outlandish stunt came in 1974 when he attempted to jump Snake River Canyon in Idaho in a rocket-powered "Skycycle." The jump failed.