Hunter S. Thompson... R.I.P.

[Canacuna]

Hunter S. Thompson, the acerbic counterculture writer who popularized a new form of fictional journalism in books like "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," fatally shot himself Sunday night at his 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.

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."

Linkage: Author Hunter S. Thompson Kills Himself

I really enjoyed readin' his stuff.

[MCG321]

A shame he ended his own life.

RIP.

[Guttpuppy]

Shouldn't have taken that extract from pineal gland,it'll make ya crazy everytime.

Sad he should take his own life.RIP.

[Dr. Duran Duran]

That's horrible, even if it doesn't really come as a shock. Sandra Dee of "Gidget" fame also died today. If it's true that celebs go in 3's, I wonder who the 3rd will be.

[Tyr]

I'm pretty upset by this. I've been a huge Hunter S fan for years now. I own all of his books, and quite a few of the SI and Rolling Stone magazines that he had articles published in.

American wouldn't be nearly as free as it is today without Hunter's anecdotes, influence in everything from journalism to politics, and the political career that spawned the Freak Nation.

RIP.

[chcbb]

that's a damn shame. i'm a big fan of thompson's writing. i'm going to go do some ether & mescaline in his honor.

[Mercer Boy]

That's horrible, even if it doesn't really come as a shock. Sandra Dee of "Gidget" fame also died today. If it's true that celebs go in 3's, I wonder who the 3rd will be.

Well, Bonnie Raitt's dad died...does that count?

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s ... obit_raitt

The three death thing is so true...I have seen it happen at least 90% of the time. I wonder if there is a way the Mythbusters can work with this one.

[DUKE]

Truly a shame. I used to be into Thomson's stuff back in the day. Most recently, I read his novel The Rum Diary, which I heard was going to be made into a movie a while back.
R.I.P. Hunter.

[TTTBone]

A true original, and a journalistic icon.
Sad to see him go out like that.

"The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over."
~Hunter S. Thompson

RIP

[Slingblade]

Too bad he ended it in such a cowardly fashion.