Hunter S. Thompson Commits Suicide

February 21, 2005

Comments

Author Hunter S. Thompson Commits Suicide (AP)

Hunter S. Thompson, the acerbic counter-culture author of books such as “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” fatally shot himself Sunday night at his Aspen-area home, his son said. He was 67. “Hunter prized his privacy and we ask that his friends and admirers respect that privacy as well as that of his family,” Juan Thompson said in a statement released to the Aspen Daily News.

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.

via Jeff Goldstein, who has commentary and photographs.

I liked Thompson’s work, although I considered him a weirdo. His impact was huge, though, as the widespread reaction of the blogosphere, irrespective of political ideology, demonstrates:

Michelle Malkin
Dean Esmay
Kevin Aylward
Kevin Drum
Julian Sanchez
Radley Balko
Chris Lawrence
Michele Catalano
Ogged
Ace
Norbizness
Digsby
Ed Driscoll
Susanna Cornett
Jerome Armstrong
Greyhawk
Orrin Judd
Duncan Black
James Lileks
Jeff Jarvis
Bryan S.
Glenn Reynolds
Jeff Quinton

14 responses to “Hunter S. Thompson Commits Suicide”

Director Mitch

February 21, 2005 at 9:29 am

Thanks for your accurate headline. Most headlines are reading “Thompsom Died”. While that might be factually correct, it doesn’t exactly lead the reader to what really happened.
Jay

February 21, 2005 at 10:11 am

I’m feeling uncultured. When Deb mentioned last night he had died, my reaction was “who?”
Brian

February 21, 2005 at 12:02 pm

Didn’t HST spend election eve with “I AM SAM” Penn?? That was probably enough to push anyone over the edge!
Django Bliss

February 21, 2005 at 12:37 pm

“There he goes. One of God’s own prototypes. Some kind of high-powered mutant never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to dieÃ¢Â€Â¦”
Lou Minatti

February 21, 2005 at 12:53 pm

Hunter became a pathetic caricature of himself, starting in 1972. He took himself far too seriously in Fear And Loathing On The Campaign Trail, and journalists kissed his ass. I think the exposure went to his head.

Here are some comments about my experience HST:

http://louminatti.blogspot.com/2005/02/hunter-s-thompson.html
Fred

February 21, 2005 at 4:11 pm

Hunter Thompson was a native of my current hometown, Louisville, KY (and arguably the first gonzo piece was his 1970 story about the Kentucky Derby), and today’s Louisville Courier-Journal has some interesting backstory, including a very funny 1996 story about a reporter’s attempt to interview Thompson as part of a celebration commemorating the 25th anniversary of Fear and Loathing. Of course, you could also see the post on my blog if you were so inclined.