Writer Hunter S. Thompson commits suicide

Hunter S. Thompson

DENVER - Hunter S. Thompson, who pioneered "gonzo" journalism and became a counterculture celebrity with works such as "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," fatally shot himself at his Colorado home on Sunday night, police said. He was 67.


Thompson was found dead at his home outside the ski resort of Aspen, police said.


"We do have confirmation that Hunter Thompson was found dead this evening of an apparent self-inflicted wound," said Tricia Louthis, spokeswoman for the Pitkin County Sheriff's Office.


Thompson's son, Juan, released a family statement to the Aspen Daily News saying "Hunter prized his privacy and we ask that his friends and admirers respect that privacy as well as that of his family."


Thompson made his drug and alcohol-fueled antics and clashes with authority the central theme of his work, challenging the conventions of traditional journalism and creating a larger-than-life outlaw persona for himself along the way.


He dubbed his style of writing, which threw out any attempt at objectivity, "gonzo" journalism.


His 1971 book "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," adapted from an article written for Rolling Stone magazine, chronicled Thompson's drug-hazed misadventures in Las Vegas while covering a motorcycle race.


The book established Hunter as a cult celebrity and became the basis for a 1998 Hollywood adaptation, starring Johnny Depp as Thompson's alter-ego, Raoul Duke.


- REUTERS