Culture

Dr. Hunter S. Thompson Suicide Was Four Years Ago Today

by Robert Sutherland | February 20, 2009 at 12:38 pm

956 views | 2 Recommendations | 4 comments

On February 20th, 2005 the world of creative writing lost a true icon. While sitting at his typewriter at his home in Woody Creek, Colorado Dr. Hunter S. Thompson took his own life. On the typewriter in front of him was his final piece of writing:

Entitled "Football Season Is Over", it read:

"No More Games. No More Bombs. No More Walking. No More Fun. No More Swimming. 67. That is 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needed or wanted. Boring. I am always bitchy. No Fun — for anybody. 67. You are getting Greedy. Act your old age. Relax — This won't hurt."

A career in writing that saw him go from a small town sports editor in Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania to becoming one of Americas most celebrated writers of the 21st Century. With 18 books of original material published, most of which sit on my bookshelf, and thousands of articles written, Dr. Thompson's legacy will live on for many more years.

Not a day goes by that we don’t think about Hunter and the indelible mark he left on society. And although it bums us out that he isn’t with us today, Hunter S. Thompson’s spirit lives on in the form of his writings and films.

The work of Dr. Thompson was introduced to my generation, kids of the 80s, by the portrayal of his alter ego Raoul Duke by Johny Depp in the film Fear and Loating in Las Vegas. This film follows the "gonzo journalism" coverage Raoul Duke (Dr. Thompson) gets while on a Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream.

Dr. Thompson inspired me to be a writer and to ignore what some say and put what you believe to be true and good on paper. He proved that you don't need to do what writers did before you to be successful. Dr. Thompson, I raise my glass to you today. You were gonzo but you will never be gone.