Hunter S. Thompson
Frank Mullen/Getty ImagesThompson once showed up to Jack Nicholson’s house in the middle of the night with a spotlight, a pistol, a tape of a pig being eaten by bears, and an elk heart. The elk heart was left on Nicholson’s door.
Hunter S. Thompson was a one-of-a-kind journalist who fueled his career with non-stop adrenaline, drugs, and audacious behavior.
Born on July 18, 1937, Thompson started out as a sports reporter but quickly gained a loyal following after he spent time with notorious motorcycle gang Hell’s Angels. He wrote his experiences down and the book became an instant hit.
One of his most notable contributions to the world of journalism was his creation of “gonzo journalism.” This style of journalism inserts the journalist into the story through personal experience and first-person accounts.
Drugs and other substances were often at the forefront of Thompson’s works. It’s believed that his decades of drug and alcohol-fueled adventures eventually wore on him. By the early 2000s, the best years of his career were behind him and he became depressed, upset about aging, and faced many health problems.
Michael Ochs Archives/ Getty ImagesHunter S. Thompson aims his Magnum on his ranch near Aspen, Colorado, circa 1976.
On Feb. 20, 2005, while his son and daughter and law were visiting him, Thompson decided to end it all.
He called his wife from his Owl Creek compound in Colorado and asked her if she would come home to help him write his weekly column for ESPN. As she began to hang up on him, she heard what she thought was typewriter clicks.
The sounds were actually coming from the gun Thompson was cocking. He then killed himself while his son was in the next room.
Though one of the more famous suicides, Thompson’s funeral also takes the cake as one of the most extraordinary. It was as over-the-top as his life was. His ashes were shot out of a cannon to the tune of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man.”
If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or use their 24/7 Lifeline Crisis Chat.
