CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Evel Knievel, the hard-living motorcycle daredevil whose exploits 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 idiopathic 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.

Longtime friend and promoter Billy Rundel said Knievel was having trouble breathing at his Clearwater, Fla., condominium Friday and died before an ambulance could get him to a hospital.

Rundel said Knievel's death has been coming for years, but said it's still unexpected, adding, "Superman just doesn't die, right?"

He said that Knievel's funeral will be held in Butte, Mont.

Always wearing a red, white and blue jump suit, Knievel rose to prominence for several motorcycle stunts, including a famous jump over the fountains at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas in 1969 that ended in a crash that left him with multiple fractures.

In all, suffered nearly 40 broken bones before he retired in 1980.

Perhaps Knievel's most notable stunt came in western Wyoming in 1974, with his failed jump over the Snake River Canyon with a rocket.

Apart from his stunts in public, Knievel also took his act to Hollywood.

Knievel was played by actor George Hamilton in the 1971 movie "Evel Knievel," and played himself in the 1977 feature "Viva Knievel!"

Knievel's pop culture status spawned some merchandising as well, from wind-up motorcycles to bendable action figures.

Born Robert Craig Knievel on Oct. 17, 1938, in Butte, Knievel was married twice.

His marriage to Linda Knievel from 1959 to 1997 produced four children, including Robbie Knievel, who went on to become a motorcycle daredevil.

Knievel's second marriage, to Crystal Kennedy, ended in divorce in 1999 after two years.

Knievel was most recently in the headlines over his dispute with Kanye West.

The daredevil sued West over his 2006 "Touch The Sky" video, where the rapper takes on the persona of "Evel Kanyevil" and tries to jump a rocket-powered motorcycle over a canyon.

West's lawyers said the video was a satire, and as such, was covered under the First Amendment.

Knievel also claimed West's image as a rapper diminished his own reputation, and called it "vulgar and offensive."

But recently, the stunt rider met the 30-year-old rapper in person at Knievel's Florida home, and the two ironed out their differences.

Knievel called West a "wonderful guy and quite a gentleman," and even expressed concern about the recent death of West's mother.