Dr. Hunter S.Thomson
(1938 -2005)
American writer, gonzo journalist, NORML board member
Writer of 'Fear and loathing in Las Vegas'.
"I have always loved marijuana. It has been a source of joy and comfort to me for many years. And I still think of it as a basic staple of life, along with beer and ice and grapefruits - and millions of Americans agree with me." - Hunter S. Thompson
21 Aug 2005 - Thompson's ashes fired into sky
The ashes of gonzo journalist Hunter S Thompson have been blown into the sky from a cannon in Aspen, Colorado. Friends and admirers had gathered for the event at the writer's US home, six months after he shot himself there.
His ashes were fired from a 150ft tower topped by a red fist with two thumbs - the symbol of Thompson's free-wheeling, first-person gonzo journalism.
Johnny Depp , who played Thompson in the film of his book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, paid for the cannon.
Fireworks carrying the ashes of the writer exploded over the top of his memorial on his Owl Farm home. "He loved explosions," Thompson's widow Anita said.
The writer's friend Matt Moseley told the BBC before the funeral that it would be "the grandest celebration... on the planet".
Sean Penn, Lyle Lovett and the Nitty Gritty Dirt band were among those paying last respects to Thompson. Friends were instructed to remember him afterwards with the clink of ice in whiskey.
The cult author committed suicide at his home in February. Thompson, who was 67, had said on several occasions that he would like his ashes to be fired from a cannon after his death. The event was private. A public event to commemorate the writer's life is expected to take place at a later date.
February 21 2005 - Hunter S. Thompson dead at 67
'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' author takes own life.
Journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson, who unleashed the concept of "gonzo journalism" in books like "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," fatally shot himself in the head Sunday at his home near Aspen, Colorado, police and his family said.
"On February 20, Dr. Hunter S. Thompson took his life with a gunshot to the head at his fortified compound in Woody Creek, Colorado," said a statement issued by Thompson's son, Juan Thompson, to the Aspen Daily News.
Dr. Hunter S. Thompson was born July 18, 1937 in Louisville, Kentucky. After a crime-filled youth, he enlisted in the Air Force as part of his parole. At Eglin AFB, he worked as sports editor for the base paper. Following his discharge, he worked at various writing jobs, most of which proved fruitless. He spent some time in the late fifties and early sixties writing newspaper articles in South America for American papers. He returned to the states and set up his home in Woody Creek, Colorado, on Owl Farm, although he was continually on the road. He gained fame for his first book, Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga, in which he spent a year living and riding with the motorcycle gang until a disagreement caused them to stomp him and break his nose. In 1970, he ran for sheriff of Pitkin County on the Freak Power ticket and narrowly lost to the incumbent. He is most famous for his brand of supersubjective journalism, called "Gonzo".
Other books include: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream; Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail 72; The Great Shark Hunt, Gonzo Papers Vol. 1: Strange Tales from a Strange Time; The Curse of Lono; Generation of Swine, Gonzo Papers Vol. 2: Tales of Shame and Degradation in the Eighties; Songs of the Doomed, Gonzo Papers Vol. 3: More Notes on the Death of the American Dream; Better Than Sex, Gonzo Papers Vol. 4: Trapped Like a Rat in Mr. Bill's Neighbourhood, and most recently, The Proud Highway: Letters from a desperate Southern Gentleman. There are two extremely rare books, Screwjack and Mistah Leary...He Dead which make up his limited edition work. His long lost novel, The Rum Diary is expected to be released in October 1998. A more legendary unseen book is Polo is my Life, which was due in March 1998, but was suddenly cancelled.
Dr. Thompson is a man of strange and bewitching charisma. He is 6'2" tall, and, due to the fact that one leg is longer than the other, tends to bob about like a freakish marionette. He is always thirsty; his favourite drinks are Wild Turkey and Chivas Regal. He has one son, Juan Fitzgerald Thompson, and was married to Sandra Dawn Conklin. Besides writer and failed politician, Dr. Thompson is also a peacock and gun collector, ex-night manager of the O'Farrell Theatre in San Francisco, and founder of The Fourth Amendment Foundation. A responsible Woody Creek resident, Dr. Thompson's certification came from a mail-order church in the sixties while he was in San Francisco.
There have been many media treatments of Dr. Thompson. The most recognizable is the "Uncle Duke" character in Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau, followed by the cult movie, Where the buffalo roam starring Bill Murray and Peter Boyle. The most recent is a FLLV spoken word CD and the movie version of FLLV which was released May 22, 1998 and stars Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro, superb direction by Terry Gilliam.
source: norml.org
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