🌹 With heartfelt condolences to his family, here is his life story by S1970 Graduate Debbie Zink Ehrich, Research Genealogist and his girlfriend and fellow gymnast, 11th Grade, Venice High School, Los Angeles, California | Alumni Specialist 

TRAPEZE ARTIST and HUMAN CANNONBALL

Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus

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Gregory Paul Friel was born on March 1, 1952 in Los Angeles, California. His father Paul Leo Friel was born in New Jersey, US Navy WWII, and passed away in Ventura, Ca. (1922-1978. In 1950 Greg’s father Paul was working as a salesman for a wholesale beverage company. His mother, Madaline Smith, born in Rhode Island passed away in Maricopa, Arizona (1922-2009).

Greg has an older sister, Geraldine Mary Friel, who graduated in 1967 from Saint Monica Catholic High School. She resides in Southern California.

Greg grew up at 1129 Harrison Avenue in Venice, California, which is located near Lincoln and Washington. By the age of 11 he began doing gymnastics at muscle beach.

When Greg started 10th grade at Venice High School, he was a member of the Venice High School gymnastics team. Greg excelled in floor exercise! On March 30, 1968 Coach George Rose’s Venice High Gymnastics Team took a sweep at Thursdays Gondo-Comet match held at Westchester High School. Venice’s Roger Rapp was the number one hero, as his 8.55 score in tumbling ensured the Gondo win. Teammate Greg Friel took second, while Mike Lynn captured third, and Gary Berlant was fourth.

In 1970 Greg held the Venice High Gymnastic Team Record. He graduated with the Les Puissants class in June of 1970.

At age 19 Greg was discovered by a retired circus man while at the beach in Venice doing a quadruple somersault on rings. This man was the one that trained Greg for his trapeze act.

Look up, it’s a bird, it’s a plane, no it’s a human cannonball

Dressed as Uncle Sam, he is shot out of the mouth of a cannon traveling 50 miles per hour, going 100 feet and lands in a 50x22 foot net.

In 1972, Greg was a performer for the American National Circus touring in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas and Alaska. Then, onto the big top! Greg and his fiancée, Debbie Tipton were a flying trapeze duo with the renowned Ringling Bros. Circus.

In 1975 Greg made circus history by performing the very difficult 3 ½ somersaults after being shot out of a $20,000 cannon traveling 45 mph. He was 5’11” and 150 lbs. Asked, why do you do this? He replied, the money is good, plus the roar of the crowd and the thousands of dollars a week, however, that wasn’t enough to make him happy.

These achievements could not fill the emptiness in his heart. He had fame, glamour, and money, but he said it did not give him happiness. Instead, he turned to alcohol and cocaine. He slid into a suicidal depression.

On March 23, 1976 Greg at 24 married Debra Ann Tipton 21, in Montgomery, Ohio on top of a $20,000 cannon in the Hara Arena. At the time Greg was a member of the Rock Smith Flyers, a flying trapeze act.

On October 12, 1978 Greg age 26 had been shot out of the cannon more than 800 times, and planned to retire at the end of the year. Greg said that his favorite day is going to be when he can say that he ‘was’ a human cannonball. He was ready to live in one place and was tired of all the traveling.

In 1979 Greg began flying on the trapeze at Circus Circus in Las Vegas making $2,000 a week with a $1,000 a week cocaine habit.

On March 10, 1979 Greg and Debra welcomed a son, Nicholas Gregory Friel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

On April 8, 1980 Debra was granted a divorce from Greg due to his drug and spousal abuse. After the divorce Greg began driving a limousine from the airport to the hotels.

While watching an evangelist on television, Greg got down on his knees and asked God “If you can use an alcoholic, a drug addict, a wife beater, and if you are real, I will live for you for the rest of my life.” He stopped doing drugs, and said that God spoke to his heart in his prayer, and Greg began studying the bible and eventually joined the staff of Trinity Assembly of God in Las Vegas.

On February 16, 1981, Greg married Joan Aileen Fassler, a San Francisco native and a Republic Airlines stewardess, in Las Vegas. Greg was eventually sent to start a church in Alamo, Nevada. During the school year, he was conducting anti-drug seminars at schools in the area and home was a 33-foot motorhome, while his wife Joan was flying and she would meet him on the weekends.

After two years of preaching, he became a traveling evangelist.

Reverend Greg Friel, Evangelist!

By August 1985, Greg was now preaching the gospel from town to town and speaking at schools about drug abuse.

Greg lived in Las Vegas until 2007 when he and Joan moved to Maricopa, Arizona. Greg’s son Nick lives in Las Vegas and has his own Kona Ice Truck offering 10 choices of flavors of shaved ice.

Greg is survived by his wife Joan, his son Nick, and his sister Geri.

🙏 May he soar in the heavens as he did on earth, God Bless You Greg.