Ken Carter
| Montreal, Quebec, Canada
1983-09-05
Born in Montreal and raised in a working-class neighbourhood, Ken Carter pursued a daredevil career after leaving school, earning the moniker "The Mad Canadian" for his audacious car stunts across North America. His most ambitious feat was an attempt to leap over the Saint Lawrence River in a rocket-powered Lincoln Continental in 1976, chronicled in the documentary "The Devil at Your Heels." Despite setbacks and a failed attempt in 1979, he persisted. Ken Carter's daring life story has captured imaginations, weaving a tale involving the mafia and a formidable Evel Knievel. His extraordinary, albeit risky, life has spurred numerous films, novels, and even an album rooted in a conceptual string-bass theme, which, in turn, inspired a musical. Tragically, Carter’s last jump was the night of September 5, 1983, when he overshot the landing on the far side of a murky pond at Westgate Speedway in Peterborough, Ontario, in a 1982 Pontiac, equipped with what was described as a 'homemade rocket.' He died on impact at only 45. His determination and risk-taking spirit remain integral to his daredevil legacy.
