death_date birth_place birth_date known_for article_title name death_cause
18 may 2012 netherfield , nottinghamshire 27 april 1927 designing the raleigh chopper bicycle alan oakley -lrb- designer -rrb-
 alan oakley cancer
alan oakley -lrb- designer -rrb-

alan oakley -lrb- 27 april 1927 -- 18 may 2012 -rrb- was a british bicycle designer from nottingham who worked for the raleigh bicycle company .
as raleigh 's chief designer he designed the company 's best selling chopper bicycle .
he drew the design for the chopper on an envelope as he travelled home from the usa , in 1967 , inspired to replicate the design of peter fonda 's character 's motorbike in the film `` easy rider '' .
he came up with his drawing as he flew home from the trip , set up for him to `` get-to-grips '' with youth culture .
in the 1980s , production of the chopper ceased when the rival bmx hit the market , but , due to popular demand , a limited edition chopper was released in 2004 .
oakley married twice .
his first marriage , in 1954 , was to brenda wilson ; the couple had a son and daughter .
oakley was married to karen francis from 1992 until his death .
oakley died from cancer , aged 85 .
he was survived by his son .
