Why the Debate Over Hunter S. Thompson’s Death Never Stopped

There were no clear explanations that described Hunter S. Thompson’s life. Resistance to his complete story didn’t stop when his life ended.

Thompson’s death in 2005 inside his home in Woody Creek, Colo., was ruled a suicide. Almost immediately after the announcement, when admirers, critics, and longtime readers questioned whether the conclusion fit the 67-year-old-man they thought they knew. Speculation lingered for years, fueled less by evidence and more by his reputation.

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The result of a recent independent review confirmed the original determination: Thompson died by suicide, alone, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The review by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation was announced in September after Thompson’s wife, Anita Thompson, contacted authorities with “new concerns and potential information regarding the investigation” into Thompson’s