Writer Hunter S. Thompson, famous for popularizing 'gonzo journalism' in which the writer becomes a part of the story and writes from that perspective, apparently killed himself while talking on the telephone to his wife.

Thompson's widow, Anita, said she heard the clicking of the gun. I was on the phone with him, he set the receiver down and did it.'

At first, Mrs. Thompson was confused by the muffled noise on the other end of the phone. 'I was waiting for him to get back on the phone,' she admitted to reporters. Thompson was later found dead by his son, Juan. His daughter-in-law and six-year-old grandson were also in the house at the time Thompson took his own life.

Thompson apparently left written instructions for what to do with his body and assets including his unpublished works.

His wife said he had talked about killing himself repeatedly in the months prior to his suicide. 'He wanted to leave on top of his game,' Mrs. Thompson said. 'I wish I could have been more supportive of his decision.'

So the author of 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' died as he lived and as he wrote. He was part of the story to the very end.