Ralph Hubert “Sonny” Barger, Jr. was an American outlaw biker, author, and actor who lived from October 8, 1938, until June 29, 2022. In 1957, he helped form the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club chapter in Oakland, California. After starting the Oakland chapter, Barger played a key role in bringing together several disjointed Hells Angels chapters and getting the organization officially incorporated in 1966. He became the Hells Angels’ most well-known member during the counterculture era and was constantly accused of being the club’s president by law authorities and the media. Barger was referred to as “the Maximum Leader” of the Hells Angels by the writer Hunter S. Thompson, while Philip Martin of the Phoenix New Times labeled him “the archetypical Hells Angel,” noting he “didn’t start the motorcycle club… but he constructed the narrative.” He wrote five books and made movie and television appearances.
Following convictions for heroin trafficking in 1974 and planning to blow up the clubhouse of the Outlaws, a rival motorcycle gang, in 1988, Barger spent a total of 13 years behind bars. In 1972 and 1980, he was likewise found not guilty of both racketeering and murder. Law enforcement claims that the Hells Angels are an organized crime syndicate, but Barger denied this and said that the group cannot be held responsible for the conduct of its individual members.
How old was Sonny Barger?
Sonny Barger was 83 years old at the time of his death.
What was Sonny Barger’s profession?
Barger joined the Oakland Panthers, a motorcycle club he started with some other former service members, in 1956. After that gang disbanded, he began riding with a different group of motorcyclists, one of whom, Don “Boots” Reeves, was sporting a patch from the long-gone North Sacramento Nomads chapter of the Hells Angels. Each member of the newly formed Hells Angels organization wore the patch after having reproductions created at a trophy shop in Hayward. The patch features a miniature skull wearing an aviator cap surrounded by a set of wings and was eventually trademarked as the Hells Angels’ “Death’s Head” insignia. The Hells Angels were created in 1948, not as generally stated, but Barger became the group’s most well-known member to the point where he is frequently mistakenly credited as the club’s founder. He and the Oakland Hells Angels had no idea that there were several other loosely related gangs throughout California using the same moniker. According to George “Baby Huey” Wethern, who was elected the chapter vice-president in 1960, the Oakland Hells Angels’ early members were “essentially honest blue-collar or unskilled workers searching for excitement.” Many of the initial members of the Oakland chapter were former servicemen with questionable military records, in contrast to the World War II veterans who started the early Hells Angels chapters.
On December 6, 1969, the Rolling Stones performed at the Altamont Free Concert, and Barger was one of the Hells Angels in attendance. It is said that the bikers were given $500 worth of beer to serve as security. Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane was attacked by the Hells Angels and rendered unconscious, and audience member Meredith “Murdock” Hunter was stabbed to death. Both concertgoers and artists were the victims of violence. Barger asserted to have been drinking beer while seated on stage during the conflict. After the event, the HAMC received negative media coverage, so he appeared on KSAN, a local radio station in the Bay Area, to defend the Hells Angels’ behavior and offer their side of the story. He claimed that when the mob started damaging the Angels’ motorcycles, fighting broke out. In a later statement, Barger claimed that Hunter had fired a shot that had only “inflicted a flesh wound” on a Hells Angels member.
Was Sonny Barger married?
Sonny Barger was survived by Zorana, his fourth wife, whom he wed on June 25, 2005. He was wed to Zorana up till his passing. Sonny had four marriages. Elsie Mae, his first wife, passed away on February 1st, 1967. Then, he was wed to Sharon Gruhlke, his second wife, whom he had wed in 1973 and later separated from. He then wed Beth Noel, his third wife, with whom he had a stepdaughter named Sarrah. Sonny was reportedly involved in a domestic argument with his third wife and stepdaughter that led to his arrest for severe assault. They eventually divorced.
What was Sonny Barger’s cause of death?
Elsie Mae (née George), Barger’s first wife, passed away on February 1, 1967, as a result of an embolism in her bloodstream following an unlawful abortion. He started dating Sharon Gruhlke, a former Livermore beauty queen, in 1969. In 1973, Barger wed Gruhlke when he was a prisoner at Folsom State Prison. The union broke up in divorce.
Barger had a throat cancer diagnosis in 1983 as a result of years of excessive smoking. At the San Francisco Fort Miley VA Hospital, his diagnosis, and care were provided. He received a total laminectomy with bilateral functional neck dissections due to stage III laryngeal carcinoma. Barger thus learned to vocalize using the muscles in his esophagus after having his vocal cords removed.
His passing was reported in the following Facebook post:
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
What was Sonny Barger’s Net Worth?
Sonny Barger’s net worth at the time of his passing was about $500,000. His writing, acting, and horseback riding are his main sources of revenue. He also made money through television, movies, and books. Sonny enjoyed great success in the entertainment sector thanks to his performance in the Hells Angel movie.
Categories: Biography
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
