American author Hunter Thompson, who popularized a freewheeling style of first-person journalism during the 1970s, has died at the age of 67. Authorities say he killed himself with a gunshot wound to the head Sunday at his home in Colorado.
Mr. Thompson adopted a modern non-fiction writing style known in the United States as "the new journalism," in which a writer's involvement in a story is visible, and made his version far more personal and subjective. Hunter Thompson called his anti-establishment writing "gonzo journalism" and readily admitted he mixed fictional elements with his own observations.
His best-known work was "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," about a bizarre trip to the center of legalized gambling in the United States. The book's central character is a thinly disguised version of Mr. Thompson, portrayed as a snarling, drug- and alcohol-crazed observer.
A recent interviewer said Mr. Thompson's work showed a keen view "of the decadence and depravity in American life."
Mr. Thompson also was the model for, Duke, a character in the satirical American comic strip "Doonesbury," which is seen in many parts of the world.
Some information for this report provided by AP.