Sonny Barger, a known founding member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, novelist, ex-convict, and sporadic Sons of Anarchy actor passed away on Wednesday from cancer.
He was also one of the bikers that provided the gory, violent security at the infamous 1969 Rolling Stones Altamont performance. He was 83.
Barger wrote the following note on his Facebook page today, announcing his own passing:
“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. I’ve lived a long and good life filled with adventure. And I’ve had the privilege to be part of an amazing club. Although I’ve had a public persona for decades, i’ve mostly enjoyed special time with my club brothers, my family, and close friends.”
“Please know that I passed peacefully after a brief battle with cancer. But also know that in the end, I was surrounded by what really matters: My wife, Zorana, as well as my loved ones. Keep your head up high, stay loyal, remain free, and always value honor. – Sonny”
Barger founded the now-international motorcycle club’s original group, based out of Oakland, California in 1957.
Six books were written by Barger, one of which being his autobiography Hell’s Angel: The Life and Times of Sonny Barger and the Hell’s Angels Motorcycle Club, in which he blamed the Rolling Stones directly for the disastrous Altamont event.
The Stones regretted hiring the Angels as security because the motorcyclists beat audience members with pool cues, punched and knocked unconscious Marty Balin, and attacked an 18-year-old Stones fan named Meredith Hunter with a revolver while claiming to be acting in self-defense. Hunter was fatally stabbed by one of the Angels, who was afterward freed on the grounds of self-defense.
According to the New York Post, Barger lost his battle with cancer and died surrounded by his wife Zorana and other relatives peacefully.
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Sources: Dailycaller, France24, Nbcnews, Nypost