Feb. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Hunter S. Thompson, the counterculture author of ``Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga'' and ``Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,'' has committed suicide, the Associated Press reported. He was 67.

Thompson shot himself Sunday night at his Aspen, Colorado, home, AP reported. In a statement to the Aspen Daily News, his son Juan Thompson asked that the author's friends and admirers respect the privacy of his family, AP said.

Thompson achieved fame in the 1960s when he wrote for Rolling Stone and invented a subjective and impressionistic style of reporting dubbed ``gonzo'' journalism. His 1972 work ``Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas'' was made into a movie with Johnny Depp playing the role of the author.

Recently, Thompson was a columnist for Walt Disney Co.'s ESPN.com. In a February 2003 interview with Salon, Thompson said that America suffered a nervous breakdown after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that has resulted in disastrous restrictions of civil liberties.

To contact the reporter on this story: Edvard Pettersson in Los Angeles at epettersson@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: February 21, 2005 00:28 EST