Review confirms journalist Hunter S. Thompson's 2005 death was a suicide
[January 24, 2026]
By COLLEEN SLEVIN
DENVER (AP) — Investigators in Colorado confirmed Friday that the 2005
shooting death of journalist Hunter S. Thompson was a suicide, following
a review requested by local authorities at the behest of his widow.
The probe, announced in September, was opened after Anita Thompson
contacted the sheriff for the Aspen area, Michael Buglione, with “new
concerns and potential information regarding the investigation” into
Thompson's death, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation said.
The bureau did not explain what that information was, but it noted that
the review found that his body “was not moved or ‘staged’ after death.”
CBI said interviews with family members and the original investigators
confirmed that Thompson suffered from significant depression and chronic
pain at the time of his death. Pitkin County coroner Dr. Steven Ayers
noted that he was in physical and mental decline and idolized author
Ernest Hemingway, who also died by suicide, it said.
“All speculative theories could not be substantiated,” CBI said.
In a statement included in the announcement, Anita Thompson thanked the
bureau for its “kind and thorough work."
“This allows all of us who loved Hunter to move forward with a clean
conscience,” she said.
CBI spokesperson Rob Low declined to comment on what concerns were
behind the review, and Buglione did not immediately respond to a phone
call and email seeking more information.
Thompson, who popularized a first-person form of gonzo journalism in
articles and books such as “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” died in
February 2005 at his Aspen-area home, Owl Farm in Woody Creek. He was
67.
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Journalist Hunter S. Thompson, left, and his wife, Anita Thompson,
at the Pitkin County Court House in Aspen, Colo., on April 23, 2003,
during their civil wedding ceremony. (AP Photo/Louisa Davidson,
File)
 His remains were famously cremated
and fired from a cannon at his request during a private ceremony in
Colorado. Among the celebrities who attended was actor Johnny Depp,
who played the lead role in the 1998 film adaptation of “Fear and
Loathing.”
Thompson's home was examined as part of the investigation because
most of the physical evidence and photographs were destroyed under
protocols for cases that are not considered criminal, CBI said.
As part of the review, investigators tracked the path of the bullet
that killed Thompson with the help of a fragment that was still
lodged in an appliance in the home, Low said.
Original crime scene photos, recovered by Anita Thompson, showed
that the body was aligned with the path of the bullet, CBI said.
Buglione said in a statement in the CBI announcement that he
believes the original investigation was conducted properly but
investigators recognized the importance of an independent review.
“CBI’s conclusions reaffirm the original findings and, we hope,
provide reassurance and clarity,” he said.
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