HST as journalist:
I posted some links to columns that suggest Hunter S. Thompson's writing was a precursor to blogging on my Herald blog, and Sheila Lennon (linked there) has the best collection of HST links I've found. But here's a posting by Bob Stepno on Thompson as journalist that seems to say it all. (Via South Knox Bubba.)
Mentioned in the Stepno links: An Appreciation, by Joel Achenbach, about a visit to Thompson, ending:

"When you invent a great character for yourself you may be trapped by it the rest of your days. To be an icon is a brutal job. The early reports say Thompson ended his own life with a gun. That's not a gonzo conclusion to his story, that's just a tragedy."