On June 29th, founder of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club Sonny Barger passed away in his home in Livermore, California at the age of 83. Fritz Clapp, his former lawyer, reported he had died from liver cancer.
There was a post on his Facebook page which said: “If you are reading this message, you’ll know that I’m gone. I’ve asked that this note be posted immediately after my passing.”
Mr. Barger represented a movement of “bearded, denim-clad road warriors” famous for driving through highways and crossroads towns, intimidating those around.
His club, Hells Angels, had been influenced by “The Wild One,” a movie that was released in 1953.
Crime and violence were common in Hells Angels, often involving Mr. Barger, something he was proud of and acknowledged. The most infamous was their involvement in the 1969 Rolling Stones concert where a Hells Angel member stabbed and killed 18-year-old Meredith Hunter.
Mr. Barger had an occupation as a technical consultant for biker movies and would appear in some of the movies, such as “Hells Angels on Wheels” in 1967.
He was also an entrepreneur. In the past, he would advertise his brand and register trademarks on designs and logos that belonged to his club. In addition, he would create charity drives for children’s toys and clothes to paint the Angels in a better light.
When describing Barger, Hunter S. Thompson told The Washing Post that “[h]e’s smart and he’s crafty, and he has a kind of wild animal cunning.”
From a young age, he was always a rebel. He first smoked marijuana at 14 before he dropped out of high school at 16 and joined the army using a fake birth certificate.
After the army found out and forced him out, he would go between jobs before joining a biker group, the Oakland Panthers, in 1956. A year later, he would create the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, which he would grow in the following decades.
Later in life, he would write several books, including his autobiography. In 1998, he moved to Phoenix where he’d settle down and spend his life running a motorcycle repair shop, doing yoga, and lifting weights. However, he continued his traditions of driving and would drive with BMWs and Hondas, something he favored over the Harley choppers he drove during his time with the Hells Angels.
Link to Article:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2022/06/30/sonny-barger-hells-angels-dead/
https://time.com/6193077/sonny-barger-hells-angels-dies/
There was a post on his Facebook page which said: “If you are reading this message, you’ll know that I’m gone. I’ve asked that this note be posted immediately after my passing.”
Mr. Barger represented a movement of “bearded, denim-clad road warriors” famous for driving through highways and crossroads towns, intimidating those around.
His club, Hells Angels, had been influenced by “The Wild One,” a movie that was released in 1953.
Crime and violence were common in Hells Angels, often involving Mr. Barger, something he was proud of and acknowledged. The most infamous was their involvement in the 1969 Rolling Stones concert where a Hells Angel member stabbed and killed 18-year-old Meredith Hunter.
Mr. Barger had an occupation as a technical consultant for biker movies and would appear in some of the movies, such as “Hells Angels on Wheels” in 1967.
He was also an entrepreneur. In the past, he would advertise his brand and register trademarks on designs and logos that belonged to his club. In addition, he would create charity drives for children’s toys and clothes to paint the Angels in a better light.
When describing Barger, Hunter S. Thompson told The Washing Post that “[h]e’s smart and he’s crafty, and he has a kind of wild animal cunning.”
From a young age, he was always a rebel. He first smoked marijuana at 14 before he dropped out of high school at 16 and joined the army using a fake birth certificate.
After the army found out and forced him out, he would go between jobs before joining a biker group, the Oakland Panthers, in 1956. A year later, he would create the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, which he would grow in the following decades.
Later in life, he would write several books, including his autobiography. In 1998, he moved to Phoenix where he’d settle down and spend his life running a motorcycle repair shop, doing yoga, and lifting weights. However, he continued his traditions of driving and would drive with BMWs and Hondas, something he favored over the Harley choppers he drove during his time with the Hells Angels.
Link to Article:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2022/06/30/sonny-barger-hells-angels-dead/
https://time.com/6193077/sonny-barger-hells-angels-dies/