sonny barger obituary sonny barger obituary

I ended up not liking him at all, a tall skinny, typical hillbilly from Kentucky. And I went to jail for it. It was something he had earned, but also an image he cultivated with charisma and shrewdness, turning Hells Angels into a worldwide brand. The defendants shook hands with Mullen and thanked him for his testimony. Barger's death was announced on his Facebook page late Wednesday. Please know that I passed peacefully after a brief battle with cancer. Please ignore rumors and hoaxes. Bullshit, it was the end of nothingAltamont may have been some big catastrophe to the hippies, but it was just another Hells Angels event to me". When Marlon Brando, as the leader of the Black Rebels, is asked what he is rebelling against, he replies, Whaddaya got?. He dropped out of school in the tenth grade. Barger's third guest appearance on Sons of Anarchy was during season 5, episode 10, which aired on November 13, 2012. There are seven [Hells Angels] chapters in England and he comes over here a lot. As the longtime president of the Hells Angels motorcycle club, Sonny Barger, who has died aged 83, was the epitome of the outlaw biker. [16] When Otto Friedli, the founder of the original San Bernardino Hells Angels chapter, was imprisoned in 1958, Barger was proclaimed de facto national president. Report this obituary Add a photo or a video There is no photo or video of Sonny Barger. And in 2010, with Darwin Holmstrom, he produced a guide to safe motorcycling, Lets Ride, as if he were now fully transformed into one of the 99%. [47], On March 16, 1973, Barger was sentenced to a prison term of ten years-to-life after he was convicted of possession of narcotics for sale (37 grams of heroin), and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. His criminal record began in 1963 after he was arrested for possession of marijuana. Barger's death was announced on his Facebook page late Wednesday. Barger also circulated a photograph of the two Outlaws who killed Webb, firstly at an Oakland chapter meeting on November 30, 1986, and again at a summit of West Coast chapter officers on January 3, 1987. When Tait informed Barger in a phone conversation that the FBI was investigating the package he had mailed to Webb's sister, Barger proposed the alibi that the package contained sympathy cards. Concert goers and musicians alike were subjected to violence from the Hells Angels, including Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane, who was knocked unconscious, and audience member Meredith "Murdock" Hunter, who was stabbed to death. [85] The meetings ended with the American leaders imposing a truce on their Scandinavian chapters as neither the Bandidos nor the Hells Angels wanted to see a biker ban. [7] The Oakland chapter, with Barger serving as its president, assumed an informal position of authority within the Hells Angels that began following a standoff with local police and the California Highway Patrol in the aftermath of an outlaw motorcycle meeting in Porterville in September 1963. STOCKTON - Thousands of mourners are expected to be in attendance for the funeral of Sonny Barger, one of the figureheads of the Hells Angels motorcycle club, this weekend in Stockton. "[43] Barger and the others were charged with attempted murder, kidnapping, and assault with a deadly weapon. Sonny Barger, second left, in the film Hells Angels 69. [77] Bowman allegedly placed a $100,000 bounty on Barger's life when he made a speech to hundreds of his followers on December 31, 1993, announcing an escalation of hostilities against the Hells Angels. While infighting did take place between the chapters, conflicts predominantly arose with other clubs such as the Gypsy Jokers. [83][84] Although the Outlaws failed to kill either man, a number of Hells Angels-owned businesses in southern California were firebombed. Covid 19 Map . [12], He married his fourth wife, Zorana (ne Katzakian), on June 25, 2005. [42] Cross was also imprisoned, for possession of amphetamines in 1975, however, and Barger allegedly continued to lead the Hells Angels from his cell at Folsom State Prison. A delegation of Angels and their chief rival motorcycle gang, the Gypsy Jokers, met the activist Jerry Rubin and poet Allen Ginsberg in front of 1,000 people at San Jose State College to negotiate clearance for the November march scheduled for Oakland. "[23] He also began studying sociology at Folsom. He was a total fake. Two years later Barger appeared in Tom Wolfes Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test when the author and counterculture figure Ken Kesey invited the Oakland Angels to a party; Kesey introduced the bikers to LSD. [42] Barger was, however, sentenced to ninety days in jail after walking out of a court session. Of the remaining twelve, nine were convicted and three including Sonny and Sharon Barger were acquitted. Discovered in the trunk of the Pontiac were three club "prospects" William Hood, Russell Huddleston and Danny Jarman. The ten defendants went on trial at Louisville federal court beginning in July 1988, accused of plotting to bomb the clubhouse of the Outlaws' Louisville chapter, located in the city's Portland neighborhood, in retaliation for the killing of John Cleave Webb. Sonny Barger, a Hells Angel known for his role on Sons of Anarchy, died of cancer on June 29 at age 83. The biker, from California, passed away peacefully surrounded by his wife Zorana and his loved ones on June 29. At the age of eighty-three, Ralph "Sonny" Barger, a founding member of the Hell's Angels motorcycle club, has died. [19] On October 16, 1965, Barger led a group of Hells Angels in an attack on anti-war demonstrators marching from Berkeley to the Army Terminal in Oakland to protest against munitions shipments. Hells Angels Motorcycle Clubs founder Sonny Barger passed away on June 29 following a long battle with cancer. He asserted that violence only started once the crowd began vandalizing the Angels' motorcycles. [73] On the day of his release, Barger took a flight to Oakland International Airport and attended a homecoming party at the Mountain House, a bar at Altamont Pass in Livermore, at which Johnny Paycheck performed. According to Christie, he and Bowman were working towards a peace treaty when the Outlaws leader withdrew from the negotiations. LIVERMORE, Calif. Sonny Barger, the leather-clad fixture of 1960s counterculture and figurehead of the Hells Angels motorcycle club who was at the notorious Rolling Stones concert at Altamont. Vested with a quasi-military code of honour, the Angels golden rule was to ratpack on the side of any brother in a fight. [49], Barger was arrested on a parole violation charge of possession of firearms when police officers discovered a 9mm semiautomatic pistol, a .38 caliber revolver, and a rifle after arriving at his Oakland home on March 27, 1978, to serve a subpoena and to conduct a parole search. 894646. After forming the Oakland chapter, Barger was instrumental in unifying various disparate Hells Angels chapters and had the club incorporated in 1966. Sonny Barger has acquired notoriety throughout the years for his contentious career and court difficulties. [110] Barger remained married to Zorana until his death in 2022. [77][78] The Angels' November 1994 "patch over" of the Hell's Henchmen biker gang in the Outlaws' home base of Chicago resulted in a number of shootings and bombings. In July 2022, the Hells Angels made a request to hold a memorial service for Barger at the Oakland Coliseum in East Oakland the following month. He used us for dupes". He will retire only when he dies. "[7], Barger referred to the 1970s as "a gangster era for" the Hells Angels, writing in his autobiography: "The other clubs tried to take our [reputation] from us. He was previously married to Zorana Barger and Sharon Barger. The apostrophe you would expect in Hells would not fit on their new patch. A Hyatt hotel room key and a handwritten note deemed to have been written by Barger after evaluation by a handwriting expert listing Anthony Tait's hotel room number and rental car license plate number were also found at Michael O'Farrell's residence. [7] At Christmas 1989, he sent one of the prosecutors in the case, assistant U.S. attorney Cleve Gambill, a card from prison, showing him posing on a towel as if he were on the beach, with the message: "Nice weather. [29] He denied, however, that authorities permitted crimes committed by the Hells Angels. And they have no idea how many of us there areWe have money, many allies that are outlaw bikers that are not Hells Angels, that would probably do anything we asked them to, if something happened". [64] When Gentry was acquitted after a four-day trial, Barger sent invitations to the jurors to attend a party he threw for Gentry at a local Sheraton Hotel. [94] The agreement also applied to Canada with the Outlaws agreeing to provide no assistance to the Rock Machine in return for peace with the Hells Angels in the United States. [86], On October 18, 1997, the five-chapter strong Dirty Dozen biker club of Arizona "patched over" to became Hells Angels chapters. [85] The Bandidos were represented by their international vice president George Wegers, Charles "Jaws" Johnson of their Houston chapter and Jim Tinndahn of the Helsingborg chapter. The Hells Angels want to hold the memorial service in the Coliseum parking lot in August. [68] On August 12, 1986, John Cleave "J.C." Webb, a member of the Anchorage Hells Angels, was shot and killed by Outlaws outside a biker bar in Jefferson County, Kentucky, prompting Barger to say that it was "time to start killing Outlaws again". [116] Instead, Barger's funeral was held at a motorsports racetrack in Stockton on September 24, 2022. Barger served a total of 13 years in prison, following a conviction for heroin trafficking in 1974, and a 1988 conviction for conspiracy to bomb the clubhouse of a rival motorcycle gang, the Outlaws. We have noticed that there is an issue with your subscription billing details. Sonny Barger, biker outlaw and founder of Hells Angels, dies at 83 For decades, he was the public face of a nationwide counterculture tribe of bearded, denim-clad road warriors memorialized in. [66], Barger was released from prison in Arizona on November 6, 1992, after serving three-and-a-half years of a four-year sentence. Barger's Guardian obituary also noted that "in 1979 Barger was one of 33 people charged with racketeering under federal Rico (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) laws. Jordan Potter. [52] Barger was held on a $1 million bail and spent 14 months in San Francisco County Jail before and during the trial. Bay City News Foundation. 2. [31] In the late 1960s, Barger began selling heroin and also developed an addiction to cocaine. "[7] On January 23, 1991, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit upheld Barger's convictions, stating that granting him amnesty "would greatly intrude into the law enforcement functions of the executive branches of federal and state governments". [101][102] A Hells Angels member was charged with second-degree murder and seventy-three Pagan members were indicted on federal racketeering charges in the aftermath of the incident. [4][13] Growing up, Barger was suspended from school several times for assaulting teachers, and he often fought with other boys. Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF. Sonny Barger was born as Ralph Hubert "Sonny" Barger on 8 October 1938, in Modesto, California, the United States. [93] Barger attended the last negotiating session with the Outlaws between January 23 and 25, 1999 in Indianapolis, where in a joint press conference with Anastas it was warned that any Outlaw or Hells Angel who violated the peace agreement "would be dealt with". Sonny Barger, the longstanding kingpin of the US motorcycle club Hells Angels, has died aged 83 after a brief battle with cancer. [69] Barger was among thirteen people taken into custody in the Bay Area, where over 400 FBI, ATF, and California State Police personnel carried out 26 raids on homes and other properties, seizing more than 100 weapons, approximately $1 million in cash and drugs, and three methamphetamine laboratories. [17] Under Barger's leadership, the club's membership began to increase. [1][54] Barger himself admitted during the trial that he had used and sold narcotics in the 1960s, but asserted that his actions did not involve the Hells Angels. "[25] President Johnson did not reply to the letter.[26]. Sonny Barger obituary Founding member of the Hell's Angels who revelled in beating up anti-Vietnam War 'peaceniks' and pulled a gun on Keith Richards Saturday July 02 2022, 12.01am BST, The Times. [24] The Angels maintained that the attack was carried out "in the interest of public safety and the protection of the good name of Oakland, California. A prosecution witness, Richard Ivaldi, testified that he witnessed Barger shoot Agero dead as he slept at the home of an absent acquaintance, and that Barger subsequently ordered the others to set fire to the residence. Died: Wednesday, June 29, 2022 ( Who else died on June 29? ) The Associated Press. That claim was revised to using the gun to keep the band playing after the violence, which can be seen in the 1970 documentary Gimme Shelter, had begun. [7][23] In a jailhouse interview with Cynthia Gorney of The Washington Post in October 1979, he stated: "I can tell you why they want to get rid of the Hells Angels, what I think. [87] Barger was later a member of the Yavapai County chapter. Just like I'm sure some cops have sold methamphetamines. [57] According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Hells Angels and the Outlaws were engaged in a conflict over control of the methamphetamine trade in the United States and Canada. Hood and Jarman had been bound, gagged and beaten, while Huddleston had survived having his throat cut. [96] He subsequently wrote several biker-related novels. Born October 8, 1938 Died June 29, 2022 (83) [7] Barger and the Hells Angels became associated with the counterculture phenomenon of the 1960s. "[34] Barger maintained that the Rolling Stones were ultimately responsible for the violent events that took place at the concert, saying: "They agitated the crowd, had the stage built too low, and then used us to keep the whole thing boiling. [7][65], Anthony "Taterhead" Tait, the sergeant-at-arms of the Hells Angels chapter in Anchorage, Alaska, volunteered to become a paid informant for the FBI in 1984, commencing a three-year nationwide Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation known as Operation CACUS. Election Headquarters. [16] Barger was not the founder of the Hells Angels as is often claimed the group was founded in 1948 but he became its best known member to such an extent that he is often misidentified as the club's founder. biker-gang rumble leaves 1 dead, 10 hurt, A founder of the Hells Angels testifies for ex-Bandidos leader. Rednecks couldn't stand us either. [103] Increasing tensions between the Hells Angels and other motorcycle clubs led to Barger organizing a peace conference scheduled to be held in the Arizona desert following the April 2002 Laughlin River Run motorcycle rally in Laughlin, Nevada. [61] The trial took place in Lucas County circuit court in Toledo, a city considered Outlaws territory. His move to Arizona will allow Hells Angels Ventura chapter president George "Gus" Christie to take over the political reins of the gang, but Barger will help legitimize the gang in the business world from the dry desert state. [15] Founding their own Hells Angels club on April 1, 1957, each member wore the patch a small skull wearing an aviator cap set within a set of wings, later copyrighted as the Hells Angels' "Death's Head" logo after having replicas made at a trophy store in Hayward. His future wife Sharon was a co-defendant; her case ended in a mistrial when a jury failed to reach a verdict. "[27] Barger and the Hells Angels are also depicted in Tom Wolfe's The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (1968), during Ken Kesey's La Honda encampment. Barger. The blacks and Latinos didn't like us. Barger, Beyea and Popkin were arrested after the Cadillac was chased for four miles by converging police. Sonny Barger, the founder of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, died on June 29 after a long battle with cancer. [10][11] His mother left the family when Barger was four months old, leaving him and his older sister Shirley to be raised by their Pentecostal grandmother and alcoholic father, a day laborer on the Oakland docks. But also know that in the end, I was surrounded by what really matters: My wife, Zorana, as well as my loved ones. [87] The Angels' amalgamation of the Dirty Dozen was promulgated during a meeting in Oakland. He was 83. Submit an Obituary. Please, Founding member of the Hells Angels who revelled in beating up anti-Vietnam War peaceniks and pulled a gun on Keith Richards, Sonny Barger with his second wife Sharon in San Francisco in 1980 after he was acquitted of racketeering, Barger at home in Arizona in 2010 in retirement he lost his love for Harleys. Sonny Barger, founder of the Oakland chapter of the Hells Angels and the public face for the motorcycle club in the aftermath of the Altamont tragedy, has died at the age of 83. The funeral was heavily attended; thousands of bikers descended on Stockton for the 6-hour affair. Sonny Barger was a founding member of the Oakland, California Hells Angels and a bestselling author and actor. We invite you to share condolences for Sonny Barger in our Guest. Sonny Barger was a founding member of the Oakland, California Hells Angels, and a bestselling author and actor. [21][66] Traveling the country at government expense, Tait made documented purchases of firearms, explosives, and drugs from various Hells Angels chapters. An informant had led investigating detectives to the location of the automobile in which Long's corpse was found. [67] Two EPIC manuals and a homemade explosive device were discovered in Barger's home by federal agents. [68], The conflict between the Hells Angels and the Outlaws saw a resurgence following Barger's release from prison as a result of his longstanding rivalry with Outlaws president Harry Bowman. Sonny Barger, leader of Oakland Hells Angels, dies at 83 KPIX CBS SF Bay Area 357K subscribers Subscribe 1.2K Share 116K views 7 months ago Sonny Barger, a founding member of the Oakland. Barger, the leather-clad figurehead of the notorious Hells Angels motorcycle club, has died at age 83. Philanthropist. Various objects were thrown from the Cadillac during the pursuit, including four handguns, a shotgun, surgical gloves, and a belt with an ammunition pouch and a silver buckle engraved with the caption: "Sonny Barger Jr., 195767 president, Hells Angels Oakland. Insert image . Details of death:. According to the post, Sonny Barger passed away from cancer while being surrounded by his wife, Zorana, and other close family members. [4][7], The dispute between the Hells Angels and the Rolling Stones was compounded when the band refused to compensate the Angels for $50,000 in legal fees accrued by the club in the trial of Alan Passaro, who was acquitted of Hunter's murder on the grounds of self-defense. Thousands of people are. The funeral for Sonny Barger, founder of the Hells Angels, was a private, quiet affair Saturday in . [24] Ginsberg invited Barger and the Oakland Hells Angels to a party where he provided the bikers with free alcohol, drugs and sex in exchange for their guarantee that the rally would not be attacked. Many have since argued that the concept of the peace and love, Woodstock 60s ended that day. ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sonny_Barger&oldid=1142774329, American people convicted of drug offenses, Prisoners and detainees of the United States, CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Pages using infobox criminal with known for parameter, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Possession of narcotics with intent to distribute (1973), This page was last edited on 4 March 2023, at 08:41. [48] He was paroled on November 3, 1977, after serving four-and-a-half years of his sentence. [7] According to Barger's chief attorney James Crew, Ivaldi himself was involved in the conspiracy to kill Agero and, knowing he was a prime suspect and fearing retaliation from the "Texas Mafia", he tried to shift the blame to the Hells Angels. [7] Onscreen, Barger was identified but did not speak in Hells Angels on Wheels (1967) and was one of several members of the Angels who had speaking parts playing themselves in Hell's Angels '69 (1969); he appeared in several additional films. And Bargers dream of patriotic bikers as guerrillas was given life on film in The Losers (1970), where members of the Devils Advocates take armoured choppers to rescue a CIA agent held in Cambodia. [46] John Joseph Devaney, Long's former husband, was found dead in a car in Hayward on June 14 in an apparent suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning. Barger was represented by defense attorney Stephen Miller, and Barger's wife worked on the defense team as a paralegal. Wish you were here. Sonny Barger Death Fact Check Sonny is alive and kicking and is currently 84 years old. LIVERMORE, Calif. (AP) Sonny Barger, the leather-clad figurehead of the notorious Hells Angels motorcycle club, has died. In his autobiography, he divided the history of the Hells Angels into four eras, namely the First Era (1950s and 1960s) characterized by drug use and sex, the Second Era (1970s) characterized by organized crime, the Third Era (1980s) which he depicts as a period of persecution by the U.S. government, and the Fourth Era (1990s), which he characterized as a return to the original values of the club in the 1950s and 1960s. Sonny Barger would not pull up roots, after forty years in the Bay Area, on a whim. [118] Barger was laid to rest at Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon.[2]. Back in Oakland, living between his fathers and his older sisters family, and doing dock work, he met fellow veterans and in 1956 joined the Oakland Panthers motorcycle club. Sonny Barger, famous Hells Angel and bestselling author, dead at 83 of cancer Barger disputed what authorities have long maintained that the Hells Angels are a criminal enterprise held. The death of Aquarius. For over 60 years, Barger was the quintessential leader and one of the early founding members of the Harley Davidson straddling countercultural organisation. Sonny Barger, a leader of the motorcycle club the Hells Angels, died Wednesday of liver cancer, his former lawyer said. [22], On January 22, 1972, Barger and four other Hells Angels Russell Beyea, Bobby "Durt" England, "Oakland" Gary Popkin and Bert Stefanson were traveling through Redwood Regional Park in two cars, a Pontiac and a Cadillac, when they were pursued in a high-speed chase by park rangers, who suspected the occupants of the vehicles of poaching. Ralph "Sonny" Barger was a founding member of the Oakland, California, chapter of the Hells Angels in 1957. . In reaction to his own traumatic childhood, Barger had created a brotherhood on two wheels in Oakland, California, in 1957. [36] He also claimed that he stuck a gun into Keith Richards' side, to force the Rolling Stones to keep on playing through the riot despite the band's misgivings. It was paid for by the FBI. [66], Barger and nine other Hells Angels from California and Alaska were extradited to Kentucky to stand trial for conspiring to transport firearms and explosives across state lines. He grew up along with his alcoholic father and elder sister. The clubs voted to ally under a "1%er" patch to be worn on their respective "colors". Sonny Barger Funeral Service | Hells Angels founder Sonny Barger Passed Away Flowers were laid in front of the Sonoma County Hells Angels chapter last Thursday aft 370K views 111K views. "[5], Barger was employed as a machine operator from 1960 to 1965, when he was dismissed due to extended absences. [19], According to George Wethern who later testified against the club and entered the Federal Witness Protection Program in his 1978 book A Wayward Angel, Barger convened a meeting of the leaders of the Hells Angels and other California motorcycle clubs in 1960 in which the various clubs parleyed over the mutual problem of police harassment. [16] The founding members of the Oakland Hells Angels were "basically honest blue-collar or unskilled workers looking for excitement", according to George "Baby Huey" Wethern, who became the chapter vice-president in 1960.