Hunter S. Thompson: Cannon Fodder

Maybe you can do this stuff in Colorado, but in California, home to air quality regulatory madness, forget it:

ASPEN, Colo. -- Friends and family of gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson are preparing to pepper the sky with the late writer's ashes. His cremated remains will be shot into the air Aug. 20 from a cannon installed on a 150-foot-high tower behind his home in Woody Creek.

The 67-year-old Thompson, who had been in failing health, shot himself at his home on Feb. 20 after a long and flamboyant career.

Actor Johnny Depp, a close friend of Thompson's, has hired a Beverly Hills, Calif., events planner to oversee the event, which will be closed to the public.

''We had talked a couple of times about his last wishes to be shot out of a cannon of his own design," Depp said in a recent interview with AP Television News. "All I'm doing is trying to make sure his last wish comes true." (source)