Great at jumping, bad at landing - Evel Knievel 1938-2007

Woke up to the sad news that Evel Knievel, a true legend, died yesterday aged 69. His family and friends seem genuinely surprised that he lasted as long as he did.

"It's been coming for years, but you just don't expect it," said long-time friend and promoter Billy Rundel. "Superman just doesn't die, right?"

At the risk of sounding all Hunter S, I was lucky enough to meet the great man in a bar at Ceasar's Palace, Las Vegas, the scene in 1969 of his notorious leap over the fountains outside. The 150 foot jump was good, the landing - as became his trademark - was spectacularly bad, leaving him in a coma for a month.

I was there with a band called 3 Colours Red, lovely people. We were sitting having a drink and there he was, sat at the bar in a black and white checked leather jacket, bourbon in one glass, purple medicine to stop his new liver giving up on him in another.

He could have told us clear off and leave him alone, but he seemed happy-ish to chat and signed about a dozen autographs.

Naturally, we asked him why he did what he did. "To stop the world dying from boredom," he drawled. It is as good a reason as any.

The world is a lesser place without him.