BUTTE, Mont. — 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 program on the stuntman.
The Rev. Robert H. Schuller of California’s Crystal Cathedral officiated at the service, held in the daredevil’s hometown, and talked about Knievel’s baptism this year. He noted that Knievel had recently changed an inscription on his tombstone.
“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. He 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.
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 6-mile route through town.
Later, a mix of people in leather biker jackets and ski parkas gathered at the grave site. Some placed flowers on Knievel’s coffin.
Knievel died Nov. 30 in Clearwater, Fla., after years of failing health. He was 69. He had returned often to Butte, a city of 35,000 that holds an annual Evel Knievel Days festival.
