EXCLUSIVE
Australian freestyle motocross legend Robbie Maddison has opened up about how he was left broken by the death of his great friend, fellow stuntman Jayden Archer – and how he broke the news to his young sons just days before they were due to present a show together. .
Archer was just 27 when he died on February 21. Tragedy struck while he was performing the trick that made him world famous, a triple backflip, during a training session in Melbourne.
He and Maddison – who set the world record for longest motorcycle ramp jump in 2008, jumped London’s Tower Bridge and even surfed one of the world’s biggest station wagons on a modified bike – knew each other for decades and were extremely close.
Robbie Maddison (right) first met Archer (left) when he was just seven years old. Partner’s death left world-famous stuntman ‘broken’
The Maddisons (left to right: Robbie’s wife Amy, sons Rocco, Kruz and Jagger, and the man himself) considered “Jayo” a member of the family.
Archer was supposed to marry his fiancée Beth King (pictured together) later this year
“Jayo” was known to his fans as the first person to land the triple backflip in competition. But to Maddison and her sons Kruz, 13, and Jagger, 10, he was “part of the family”.
Like their father, the boys perform stunts shows for the Freestyle Kings teamKruz even being able to perform backflips on his dirt bike – so the manner of Archer’s death hit particularly hard.
“I’ve known Jayden for 20 years, I met him when he was seven, my boys’ age now, so to have him succeed is crazy,” Maddison told Daily Mail Australia.
“My kids are always with me, so when the phone rang, I was working in the yard and they were standing next to me and they knew who I was talking to.
“They asked what was happening and I just told them, ‘Jayo passed away.’ They said, “Oh my God!”
Robbie, Kruz (pictured together) and Jagger performed stunts at a Freestyle Kings show which they dedicated to Archer just three days after the tragedy.
Maddison (pictured jumping London’s Tower Bridge) risked his life to perform record-breaking stunts which made him famous around the world.
“Kruz didn’t show any emotion, Jagger burst into tears, (youngest son) Rocco is a little too young to understand it.”
Incredibly, Maddison and her two boys were able to put on a show in Gosford, on the NSW central coast, just three days after the tragedy, and dedicated the show to Archer.
“It broke me,” he said of his close companion’s death.
“I understand that he missed the airbag (a safety device used during dangerous tricks), which was a tragedy. I cried every two hours.
“Unfortunately this is not the first. I lost so many friends in this game and they all had different accidents.
Despite this, the 42-year-old remains steadfast in his belief that his sons are in safe hands when performing their tricks – and that they are both as well prepared as possible.
Maddison gets a lot of hate online for allowing Kruz and Jagger to perform, but that’s water off a duck’s back.
The stunt legend (pictured with Kruz) doesn’t mince his words when it comes to online haters who believe he’s putting his boys in danger by allowing them to perform on stage.
“I don’t have time for assholes and their opinions,” he said.
“All the idiots can say whatever comes into their heads without knowing me or the kids and without seeing how we train.
“I wouldn’t let my kids go out if it was dangerous. I know what they are doing can be seen as dangerous, but there is danger in crossing the road.
“Their swords are sharp, these children. They’re well trained, they’re at the top, I don’t care if they can do it or not. It’s a walk in the park for them.
“The beauty of our shows is that we have airbag technology. Horrible accidents that would have had catastrophic consequences at the time, riders get up and walk away.
“I think my kids understand that none of us are here forever, we lost grandma, we lost a lot of people in our family, so they understand that it’s the course of nature.”