On Feb. 20th, American counterculture writer,and the so-called pioneer of “gonzo journalism”, Hunter S. Thompson, blew his brains out with a .357 handgun, while sitting at his typewriter.

“Dr. Gonzo”, who built a reputation as a wild-living, hard drinking, LSD-crazed writer bent on self-destruction, achieved cult status with the 1972 classic ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas‘, an actual account of his drug-hazed road trip across the western US in search of “the American Dream”. His last wish was to have his ashes shot from a cannon atop a 150ft. tower while fireworks exploded.

Well, on Sat. night in front of a star-studded crowd that included,Bill Murray, Sean Penn, Sen. John Kerry, and members of the Black Panther Party, Johnny Depp, the man who played ‘Gonzo’ on the big screen, financed the 2.5 million dollar sendoff. As the guests raised their champagne glasses his ashes were fired into the sky and rained down on his farm in Colorado.

In reaction to the event his wife Anita said,”He loved explosions.” Considered one of the most important US authors of the 20th century, the akaraff crew recommend his 1st book, ‘Hell’s Angels‘, the story of his infiltration of the famous motorcycle gang, an experience in which he was beaten to within an inch of his life.