Evel Knievel, the red-white-and-blue-spangled motorcycle daredevil whose jumps over crazy obstacles including Greyhound buses, live sharks and Idaho's Snake River Canyon made him an international icon in the 1970s, died Friday. He was 69.

Knievel's death was confirmed by his granddaughter, Krysten Knievel. He had been in failing health for years, suffering from diabetes and pulmonary fibrosis, an incurable condition that scarred his lungs.

Knievel had undergone a liver transplant in 1999 after nearly dying of hepatitis C, likely contracted through a blood transfusion after one of his bone-shattering spills. He also suffered two strokes in recent years.

Longtime friend and promoter Billy Rundle said Knievel had trouble breathing at his Clearwater condominium and died before an ambulance could get him to a hospital.

"It's been coming for years, but you just don't expect it. Superman just doesn't die, right?" Rundle said.

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Knievel lived with his longtime partner, Krystal Kennedy-Knievel, splitting his time between their Clearwater condo and Butte. They married in 1999 and divorced a few years later but remained together. Knievel had 10 grandchildren and a great-grandchild.

Rest In Peace, Evel.

This time, they aren't all toys, but they were all made in China. Surprise Surprise.

American Greetings Corp. Recalls Confetti Bursts Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard

Reeves International Inc. Recalls Holiday Ornaments Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard

Children’s Pencil Pouches Recalled by Raymond Geddes & Co. Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard

Former Rep. Henry Hyde, the Illinois Republican who steered the impeachment proceedings against President Clinton and championed government restrictions on the funding of abortions, has died. He was 83.

The death of the Illinois Republican was announced Thursday morning on Capitol Hill by the office of House Minority Leader John Boehner.

Mary Ann Schultz, a spokeswoman for Rush University Medical Center, said Hyde died Thursday at 3 a.m. CST at that hospital. There was no immediate word on the cause of his death.

Rest In Peace, Henry.

Mel Tolkin, the head writer for Sid Caesar's "Your Show of Shows," which defined the art of sketch comedy during television's Golden Age, has died. He was 94.

Tolkin died of heart failure on Monday at his Century City home, said his son, writer-director Michael Tolkin.

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He was born Samuel Tolchinsky in the Ukraine in 1913; the family moved to Montreal when he was in his teens. He studied accounting after high school but also wrote musical revues, using the name Mel Tolkin so his parents wouldn't know.

Tolkin's other son, Stephen, also is a TV writer and director. In addition to his sons, Tolkin is survived by his wife, Edith; a brother, Sol Tolchinsky; and four grandchildren.

Rest In Peace, Mel.

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I went out to check the mail today, and noticed that our mailbox literally lifts out of the ground. Sure, this will be convenient when mowing the lawn, because I can lift it right out of the way and ride the mower over the spot, making for the perfect trim job around the box.

But that also means someone else could just lift it out too, or worse, knock it over and make it really loose. That sucks. Oh well, I guess I will be looking at mailboxes this week, yes?