|
|
|
Posted on 02/21/2005 2:53:20 AM PST by wingblade
Legendary US author Hunter S. Thompson commits suicide
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) - Legendary US author and sharp-witted icon of the 1960s counter-culture, Hunter S. Thompson, is dead, apparently after shooting himself in the head, police and his family said.
The 67-year-old writer and journalist, best-known for his 1972 book "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," apparently shot himself at his rural home in Woody Creek, in the western US state of Colorado.
"The sheriff's department can confirm the apparent death by a self-inflicted gunshot wound of Hunter S. Thompson at his home," Tricia Louthis, a spokeswoman for Colorado's Pitkin County government, told AFP. Authorities declined to give any further details of the death.
But local news reports said his son, Juan Thompson, had found his body at his home in Woody Creek, near the ski resort of Aspen, about 256 kilometers (160 miles) southwest of Denver, on Sunday evening.
"On February 20, Dr. Hunter S. Thompson took his life with a gunshot to the head at his fortified compound in Woody Creek, Colorado," Juan Thompson said in a statement released to the Aspen Daily News.
"Hunter prized his privacy and we ask that his friends and admirers respect that privacy as well as that of his family," he said, adding that arrangements for a memorial service would be made public soon.
Born in July 1937, Thompson, was known for his explosive and comically cutting writing style with which he spun outlandish tales that provided a unique viewpoint to accurately describe his experiences.
Almost always writing in the first person, Thompson flirted with the border between fiction and journalism, creating a genre that became known as "gonzo" journalism, in which the writer engages himself and his personal views in the story. It made him a cult figure.
Thompson shot to fame in 1966 after the publication of his book "Hell's Angels," the story of his time spent wwith the then-feared Hell's Angels motorcycle gang, an experience during which he was savagely beaten.
"Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" is the apocryphal tale of a wild, drug-fuelled weekend spent in the desert gambling hub of Las Vegas by the protagonist Raoul Duke, a thinly-disguised version of Thompson.
Thompson claimed at the time that the book and its tales of LSD use were accurate examples of gonzo journalism, but later admitted that some of the events in it never took place.
But the stories of his heady experiences earned him a popular reputation as a wild-living, hard-drinking, LSD-crazed writer bent on self-destruction.
His other works include "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72," a collection of articles he wrote for Rolling Stone magazine while covering the re-election campaign of then-president Richard M. Nixon.
The ever-rebellious Thompson was born in the southern state of Kentucky and frequently got into trouble with the law in his early years for drinking and vandalism, spending 60 days in jail on one occasion.
He was enlisted in the US Air Force in 1956 and managed to get assigned as a sports writer for the air base newspaper at Eglin Air Proving Ground in Florida.
But the unsettled youngster quickly became dissatisfied with the rigours of military routine and his high-jinks led to an honorable discharge after only a year in 1957.
He spent several years in Puerto Rico and South America working for various newspapers, mostly as a sports reporter.
In 1963, Thompson wed Sandy Conklin, a union that would last 18 years and produce one child, Juan. He also moved to Woody Creek, where he would spend most of the rest of his life.
In 1970 Thompson ran for the office of Sheriff in Pitkin, Colorado, campaigning on the "Freak Power" ticket. He lost by a handful of votes.
His later works included "The Rum Diary" and "Screwjack and Other Stories."
Thompson became such an icon that cartoonist Garry Trudeau based the wild character of Duke in his "Doonesbury" comic strip on him.
Thompson is survived to his second wife, Anita Beymunk, whom he married two years ago, his son Juan and a grandson.
Sure took him a long time.
I don't think he liked W much.
|
|
|
So it's Bush's fault ??
"...a wild-living, hard-drinking, LSD-crazed -fill in the blank- bent on self-destruction."
Why not just use the short version: Democrat.
Well this discription does remind one of dumocrats.
Beat me to it. but, I bet that's the first thought everyone has when they read the sentence.
Okay, so I stated the obvious...
I've never read Thompson, but I am grateful for one thing from him - it is clear that P.J. O'Rourke regards him as an influence on his writing.
Regards, Ivan
An drug addled idiot but an entertaining one. I never spent a dime on his books.
I read his stuff in the 70's, but I grew up, and his later stuff was mildy funny. His grip on reality was not what it should have been.
I expected this, whenever I thought about it, for a long time. He loved likker,drugs and guns.
Gimme Back My Bullets
Gimme Back My Bullets
(Allen Collins -- Ronnie VanZant)
Life is so strange when its changin', yes indeed
Well I've seen the hard times and the pressure's been on me
But I keep on workin' like the workin' man do
And I've got my act together, gonna walk all over you
(chorus)
Gimme back my bullets
Put 'em back where they belong
Ain't foolin' around 'cause I done had my fun
Ain't gonna see no more damage done
Gimme back my bullets
Sweet talkin' people done ran me out of town
And I drank enough whiskey to float a battleship around
But I'm leavin' this game one step ahead of you
And you will not hear me cry 'cause I do not sing the blues
(chorus)
Gimme back my bullets
Put 'em back where they belong
Ain't foolin' around 'cause I done had my fun
Ain't gonna see no more damage done
Gimme back, gimme back my bullets
Oh, put 'em back... where they belong
Been up and down since I turned seventeen
Well I've been on top, and then it seems I lost my dream
But I got it back, I'm feelin' better everyday
Tell all those pencil pushers, better get out of my way
(chorus)
Gimme back my bullets
Put 'em back where they belong
Ain't foolin' around, 'cause I done had my fun
Ain't gonna see no more damage done
Gimme back, gimme back my bullets
Oh put 'em back where they belong
Gimme back my bullets
As much as he liked to play with guns, it could've been an accident. If not, I wonder if there was a "suicide note".
He seemed too much a cranky cynic to take his life because of depression. But a pragmatic choice in the face of incurable lung-cancer sounds about right.
I believe you may have hit the nail on the head.
Now I'd like to hear the ballad of Curtis Lowe please. ;)
Well this discription does remind one of dumocrats
No wonder he was such a big kerry supporter.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?id=1992213#
possibly his last published
doesn't sound very unlike himself here...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
