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Mourners gather at Knievel's funeral
By SUSAN GALLAGHER, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 55 minutes ago
BUTTE, Mont. - Mourners began gathering Monday for the funeral of Evel Knievel, the motorcycle daredevil who helped put his hometown on the map with death-defying stunts and near-fatal crashes that made him an international icon.
Fireworks illuminated the night sky with bursts of Knievel's trademark red, white and blue on Sunday when a hearse carrying his body arrived at the Butte Civic Center, the town's largest indoor venue, for a public viewing.
"There's only a few people that you can say a name anywhere in the world and you know who he is," said Jim Richards of Butte as he sat with his young son in the arena while mourners walked past the casket surrounded by poinsettias.
Large photos of Knievel rested on easels nearby, slides appeared on a large screen and a sound system blared a mix of country music and Frank Sinatra's "My Way."
"He never forgot his roots," said Richards, 49, who grew up in Butte.
The viewing will be followed later Monday by a service officiated by the Rev. Robert H. Schuller of California's Crystal Cathedral. Afterward, a funeral procession will make its way through town along a six-mile loop known as Evel Knievel Way. Burial at Mountain View Cemetery will be private.
Schuller baptized Knievel at his cathedral in April.
Pat Kearney, a spokesman for the Knievel family, said funeral speakers will include actor Matthew McConaughey, who hosted a History Channel program about Knievel in 2005. Former heavyweight boxing champion Joe Frazier, a friend, was also expected to attend the service.
After the service, a hearse was to carry Knievel's body along a six-mile route named for him in this old mining city of about 35,000 people. A private burial was planned.
Knievel, who used to speed motorcycles over local mine dumps as a boy, died Nov. 30 in Clearwater, Fla., after suffering pulmonary fibrosis and diabetes for years. He made detailed plans for his funeral.
The annual Evel Knievel Days festival draws tens of thousands to the city. Knievel frequently attended the event, though as a frail man who'd lived through too many motorcycle crashes and other ordeals, including a liver transplant.
Over the years, Knievel returned often to Butte, an industrial city with a large Irish influence. Some 35,000 people live in the southwestern Montana town that, in many ways, contrasts with the state's usual image of wide-open spaces, trout streams and cowboys. In Butte, visitors can pay $2 to see an old mining pit now filled with polluted water or take a guided tour of old brothels.
"He was right up there with Elvis and Sinatra," said George Riojas of Butte. Riojas said he admired Knievel's ability to maintain an enduring image even when "we're always itching for a new face," and his loyalty to his hometown long after he moved away.
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Mourners gather at Knievel's funeral
By SUSAN GALLAGHER, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 55 minutes ago
BUTTE, Mont. - Mourners began gathering Monday for the funeral of Evel Knievel, the motorcycle daredevil who helped put his hometown on the map with death-defying stunts and near-fatal crashes that made him an international icon.
Fireworks illuminated the night sky with bursts of Knievel's trademark red, white and blue on Sunday when a hearse carrying his body arrived at the Butte Civic Center, the town's largest indoor venue, for a public viewing.
"There's only a few people that you can say a name anywhere in the world and you know who he is," said Jim Richards of Butte as he sat with his young son in the arena while mourners walked past the casket surrounded by poinsettias.
Large photos of Knievel rested on easels nearby, slides appeared on a large screen and a sound system blared a mix of country music and Frank Sinatra's "My Way."
"He never forgot his roots," said Richards, 49, who grew up in Butte.
The viewing will be followed later Monday by a service officiated by the Rev. Robert H. Schuller of California's Crystal Cathedral. Afterward, a funeral procession will make its way through town along a six-mile loop known as Evel Knievel Way. Burial at Mountain View Cemetery will be private.
Schuller baptized Knievel at his cathedral in April.
Pat Kearney, a spokesman for the Knievel family, said funeral speakers will include actor Matthew McConaughey, who hosted a History Channel program about Knievel in 2005. Former heavyweight boxing champion Joe Frazier, a friend, was also expected to attend the service.
After the service, a hearse was to carry Knievel's body along a six-mile route named for him in this old mining city of about 35,000 people. A private burial was planned.
Knievel, who used to speed motorcycles over local mine dumps as a boy, died Nov. 30 in Clearwater, Fla., after suffering pulmonary fibrosis and diabetes for years. He made detailed plans for his funeral.
The annual Evel Knievel Days festival draws tens of thousands to the city. Knievel frequently attended the event, though as a frail man who'd lived through too many motorcycle crashes and other ordeals, including a liver transplant.
Over the years, Knievel returned often to Butte, an industrial city with a large Irish influence. Some 35,000 people live in the southwestern Montana town that, in many ways, contrasts with the state's usual image of wide-open spaces, trout streams and cowboys. In Butte, visitors can pay $2 to see an old mining pit now filled with polluted water or take a guided tour of old brothels.
"He was right up there with Elvis and Sinatra," said George Riojas of Butte. Riojas said he admired Knievel's ability to maintain an enduring image even when "we're always itching for a new face," and his loyalty to his hometown long after he moved away.
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