'Knievel was fearless spirit'
2007-12-11 09:32
Butte - Mourners remembered daredevil Evel Knievel on Monday as a red, white and blue American icon who made a spiritual leap of faith long after his death-defying motorcycle jumps.
"He's forever in flight now. He doesn't have to come back down; he doesn't have to land," said actor Matthew McConaughey, who became friends with Knievel and hosted a History Channel programme on the stuntman.
"He's in that spot of grace for the rest of time," McConaughey said.
The Rev Robert H Schuller of California's Crystal Cathedral officiated at the service, held in the daredevil's hometown of Butte, Montana, and talked about Knievel's baptism this year.
He noted that Knievel had recently changed an inscription on his tombstone, under the heading "Words to live for."
"Heaven will rejoice that he wrote the last words to his life and was standing next to You when he wrote them: 'Believe in Jesus Christ,'" Schuller told the crowd of thousands, which included former heavyweight boxing champ Joe Frazier.
Robbie Knievel, who followed his father into the family business, recalled hunting and fishing trips as a child and disputed claims that he had eclipsed Evel in the world of extreme sports.
"I am not the greatest daredevil in the world. I am the son of the greatest daredevil in the world," Robbie Knievel said.
Hundreds of mourners
Before the service, hundreds of mourners filed past the open casket to pay their respects to Evel Knievel, clad in a white leather jacket with red and blue trim.
Photos rested on easels as images of Knievel on his motorcycle appeared on a large screen above. A mix of country music and Frank Sinatra's My Way played in the background.
After the service, a hearse carried Knievel's body along Evel Knievel Loop, a 10-kilometre route through town. A handful of people braved the cold and light snow to wave goodbye.
Later, a mix of people in leather biker jackets and ski parkas gathered at the gravesite. Some placed flowers on Knievel's coffin.
Knievel died on November 30 in Clearwater, Florida, after years of failing health. He was 69.
He had returned often to Butte, an industrial city of 35 000 that holds an annual Evel Knievel Days festival.
On Sunday night, fireworks illuminated the night sky with bursts of red, white and blue when a hearse carrying Knievel's body arrived at the Butte Civic Centre, the town's largest indoor venue.
- AP