Hunter S. Thompson Dies At 67
<div class="IPBDescription">don't say he didn't deserve it</div> <!--QuoteBegin-The Aspen Times+--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (The Aspen Times)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->
<b>By Eben Harrell
February 20, 2005</b>
Hunter S. Thompson, legendary author, political commentator and "gonzo" journalist, shot himself to death tonight at his home in Woody Creek, sources within the Pitkin County Sheriff's office have confirmed.
Sheriff deputies and an ambulance responded to a call around 6 p.m. for a self-inflicted gunshot wound at Thompson's residence, a neighbor said. By 6:30 p.m., Thompson's home at 1278 Woody Creek Road was sealed off by a sheriff's van.
Shortly thereafter, a counselor with Aspen Counseling Center, a local organization that provides support for victims at crime scenes, arrived at the residence. An unidentified man leaving the property said "there are a lot of hurt family members up [at the house]."
As of 9:30 p.m., there was no official statement from the Pitkin County Sheriff's Department, but several of Thompson's friends had confirmed the news.
Thompson was an icon of the 1960s counter-culture and was best known for his rapid-fire, first-person style of journalism in books such as "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and "Hells Angels."
Further updates will be posted when they become available.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
A fitting end. If the boozing and overuse of the hard stuff didn't do it first, Thompson was destined to die in some lunatic blaze of glory. Still, this news hits me hard; I've grown up respecting the Esteemed Doctor of Journalism's works.
Thompson, the world is a smaller place without you.
<b>By Eben Harrell
February 20, 2005</b>
Hunter S. Thompson, legendary author, political commentator and "gonzo" journalist, shot himself to death tonight at his home in Woody Creek, sources within the Pitkin County Sheriff's office have confirmed.
Sheriff deputies and an ambulance responded to a call around 6 p.m. for a self-inflicted gunshot wound at Thompson's residence, a neighbor said. By 6:30 p.m., Thompson's home at 1278 Woody Creek Road was sealed off by a sheriff's van.
Shortly thereafter, a counselor with Aspen Counseling Center, a local organization that provides support for victims at crime scenes, arrived at the residence. An unidentified man leaving the property said "there are a lot of hurt family members up [at the house]."
As of 9:30 p.m., there was no official statement from the Pitkin County Sheriff's Department, but several of Thompson's friends had confirmed the news.
Thompson was an icon of the 1960s counter-culture and was best known for his rapid-fire, first-person style of journalism in books such as "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and "Hells Angels."
Further updates will be posted when they become available.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
A fitting end. If the boozing and overuse of the hard stuff didn't do it first, Thompson was destined to die in some lunatic blaze of glory. Still, this news hits me hard; I've grown up respecting the Esteemed Doctor of Journalism's works.
Thompson, the world is a smaller place without you.
Comments
As if anyone needs an excuse to watch Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
That could be....very interesting.
I for one was devvasted by the news. It was already a bad day, and reading about this as it was "breaking news" on teh BBC just put me over the top. When to a friends house and we drank way too much for a sunday(being where we are preculded the more appropiate drug binge that might have otherwise occured), listened to Bob Dylan, and other songs that for some reason reminded us of him, and sat, and stared at the ground, bearly able to keep from crying. We decided against watching Fear and Loathing, or reading from his books, because it would have been too depressing at the time. Thats for next weekend.
This is the first famous person's death that got to me at all. Cobain's death bearly touched me (though I was young and just bearly starting to listen to him at that point. If it had happened two years later I might have been one of those copycat suicides. Kinda scary looking back and relizing that yes, I was in fact that stupid back then), Hearing about Eliot Smith was more a profoundly respect creating experiance. Stabbing your self in the chest, twice, while tragic does show the truth in your depressing songs. Makes Brighteyes look even more fake and crappy in comparison, emo peice of ****.
Anyways, this man was on of the few people that I would look at and think "If I can look back on my life and say that it was even a little bit like his, it would have been worth while". Not sure if rolemodel is the right word with people like him, and Bukowski....
I am not well versed enough to express my feelings for this man in writing, so in place of a proper eulogy let me jsut close with this , my prayer to the docter:
<b>Rest Fearlessly, Knowing That You Were Beloved</b>
Goodbye, Dr. Thompson. Literary journalism will never be the same.
I've always followed a strict philosophy: if Bungie likes it i probably would too.
If you're actually somewhat intrigued, pick up <u>The Great Shark Hunt</u> (a compendium of many of his works). Or do they not have libraries in that savage Europe land?
A great man who had a great influence on a lot of people.
that, and he was a funny guy.