Thousands attend Evel Knievel funeral

Mourners began gathering today for the funeral of Evel Knievel, the motorcycle daredevil whose death-defying stunts and near fatal crashes made him an international icon and helped put his mining hometown on the map.

Fireworks illuminated the night sky with bursts of Knievel’s trademark red, white and blue yesterday, when a hearse carrying his body arrived at Butte’s civic centre, the Montana town’s largest indoor venue, for a public viewing.