Hunter S. Thompson, dead at 67
The man who gave us the phrase "Fear and Loathing," and one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, is dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~53~2723492,00.html
I know most fo you know who Hunter Thompson is. Certainly most of you have seen Johnny Depp portray him in "fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. I also hope that many of you, like me, have read his books and know what an amazing writer and journalist he was - not to mention one of the craziest son of a bitches to ever walk the face of the earth ...
"Pitkin County Sheriff Bob Braudis, a personal friend of Thompson, confirmed the death to the News. Sheriff's officials did not return calls to The Associated Press late Sunday.
Juan Thompson found his father's body. Thompson's wife, Anita, was not home at the time.
Besides the 1972 drug-hazed classic about Thompson's time in Las Vegas, he is credited with pioneering New Journalism — or "gonzo journalism" — in which the writer made himself an essential component of the story.
An acute observer of the decadence and depravity in American life, Thompson wrote such books as Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail in 1973 and the collections Generation of Swine and Songs of the Doomed. His first ever novel, The Rum Diary, written in 1959, was first published in 1998.
Other books include Hell's Angels and The Proud Highway. His most recent effort was Hey Rube: Blood Sport, the Bush Doctrine, and The Downward Spiral of Dumbness" - from USA Today ... "
I discovered his books in high school and he is the reason I majored in journalism in college and went on to become a writer. I can also say that, without Thompson, I would have never had the guts to try Ecstasy.
He was born in my home state of Kentucky and a few years ago, I had the pleasure of actually meeting him, if only briefly to shake his hand. I am glad I had the chance and I am going to miss him
RIP
