On June 29, 2022, Barger died of liver cancer aged 83 at his home in Livermore, California. [96] He subsequently wrote several biker-related novels. [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. [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. Ralph "Sonny" Barger was a founding member of the Oakland, California, chapter of the Hells Angels in 1957. . It was something he had earned, but also an image he cultivated with charisma and shrewdness, turning Hells Angels into a worldwide brand. [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. [48] Barger gave a series of interviews, including one with Geraldo Rivera for his Good Night America television program, in which he portrayed himself as a model prisoner and said: "They got to let me out sometime. Ralph "Sonny" Barger, the larger-than-life godfather of the Hells Angels who helped to transform a California-born motorcycle club into an icon of countercultural rebellion, forging a mythology. [52], Barger and 17 of his co-defendants went on trial in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California at the San Francisco federal courthouse beginning on October 4, 1979. [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. [32] The killing of Agero was one of five possibly linked murders committed in the area around that time. [17] Under Barger's leadership, the club's membership began to increase. He grew up along with his alcoholic father and elder sister. Fourteen months later he was discharged honourably, as he had lied about his age to join without parental permission. [7] He appears in the documentary film about the Altamont Free Concert: Gimme Shelter (1970). [108] Barger was sentenced to an eight-day jail term for aggravated assault. He also displayed another copy of the EPIC manual and explained how to use it to fellow Hells Angels at an Oakland chapter meeting. It was thought up by the FBI. We're all across the country, and now we're in foreign countries also. [20] Barger justified the male only ruling under the grounds that female Hells Angels were less able to defend themselves against rival bikers looking to steal their patches. Barger died at the age of 83 of cancer in Livermore and was the founding member of the Oakland branch of the Hells Angels motorcycle club, known for its outlaw reputation and the scrapes with law enforcement that resulted. Sonny had a huge influence on the club and brought it to a world level. Despite establishing a relationship with the police that led to the Angels trading weapons for arrested members, Bargers rap sheet grew. While infighting did take place between the chapters, conflicts predominantly arose with other clubs such as the Gypsy Jokers. It was something he had earned, but also an image he. July 1, 2022. The apostrophe you would expect in Hells would not fit on their new patch. [20] The Oakland Hells Angels maintained a preeminent position as "first among equals" by having the largest membership of any U.S. chapter and because of Barger's esteem among club members internationally. "[19] The incident led to a collection of students, left-wing political groups, and labor unions led by Allen Ginsberg and Jerry Rubin meeting with motorcycle club representatives, headed by the president of the Sacramento Hells Angels chapter, in a cafeteria at San Jose State College, seeking assurance that a planned Vietnam Day Committee protest march in Oakland on November 20, 1965, would go undisturbed. We have noticed that there is an issue with your subscription billing details. LIVERMORE, Calif. (AP) Sonny Barger, the leather-clad figurehead of the notorious Hells Angels motorcycle club, has died. [6] The defense team endeavored to expose the government's "outrageous" investigative conduct and discredit Tait, whom the government acknowledged was paid $300,000 in salary and expenses for the information he provided. Though . Ralph "Sonny" Barger, Hell's Angel[100], Barger was present at the Hellraiser Ball, a tattoo and motorcycle trade exposition in Plainview, New York, sponsored by the Long Island chapter of the HAMC, which was ambushed by dozens of members of the rival Pagans motorcycle gang on February 23, 2002, resulting in one biker being killed and at least ten injured. [61] The trial took place in Lucas County circuit court in Toledo, a city considered Outlaws territory. Though law enforcement saw the Angels as more of a gang than a club, in the 1960s the media latched on to Barger (pronounced Bar-gurr), selling the outlaw image to the world as a form of countercultural protest that took celluloid form in films such as Easy Rider (1969). Many have since argued that the concept of the peace and love, Woodstock 60s ended that day. [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. Barger was represented by defense attorney Stephen Miller, and Barger's wife worked on the defense team as a paralegal. Everybody hated us. Leonard "Cool Ray" Mullen, the Outlaws member convicted of killing Webb, testified that he shot Webb over a personal feud and that there was no war between the Outlaws and the Angels. Ralph "Sonny" Barger was an author of numerous books, an actor and a founding member of the Oakland Hells Angels on April 1st, 1957. Wish you were here. An informant had led investigating detectives to the location of the automobile in which Long's corpse was found. Sonny Barger, the founder of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, died on June 29 after a long battle with cancer. Barger also stripped the Hells Angels' "colors" of offensive patches, such as Nazi regalia and various colored wings awarded to members as a reward for sexual adventures performed in the presence of other members. [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. [5][12] Barger grew up in Oakland in the post-war era, during which time the city's shipbuilding and automobile industries went into decline, leading to a significant rise in unemployment. [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. [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. [6] He took up running for exercise in prison, saying: "I'm slow but I can go on forever". By now he was being arrested regularly, for marijuana possession or assault with a deadly weapon. Of the remaining twelve, nine were convicted and three including Sonny and Sharon Barger were acquitted. As of 2023, Barger has accumulated an estimated net worth of $1 million. Members who were of little value to the Hells Angels were drummed out, and intravenous drug use was banned by the club. That went nowhere, but the day before the march, Barger announced the Angels would stay away out of patriotic concerns that anti-American marchers might provoke violent acts by us and only produce sympathy for this mob of traitors. [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". His wife and relatives were with him. Credit: Pete Rosos. And I'm sure the government makes a living off of us. He was convicted of aggravated assault, but he served only eight days in jail. He was unimpressed with Thompson, and said of the writer: "When he tried to act tough with us, no matter what happened, Hunter Thompson got scared. [56] The feud between the two clubs began in 1974 when Outlaws bikers in South Florida murdered three members of the Hells Angels' Lowell, Massachusetts, chapter as retribution for an Outlaw being beaten by Hells Angels at a party in New York City. Although many of his school friends became drug addicts, Barger worked at a grocery store and enlisted in the U.S. Army, aged sixteen in 1955, but was given an honorable discharge fourteen months later when it was discovered that he had forged his birth certificate in order to be able to join. Talking about his funeral details so it has not been revealed by his family but we will make sure to update you whenever we will getting news or any information regarding his funeral details. According to Carlson, he was . Barger, the leather-clad figurehead of the notorious Hells Angels motorcycle club, has died at age 83. Hells Angels Founder Ralph 'Sonny' Barger Dead At 83. [32] Barger married Gruhlke while he was incarcerated at Folsom State Prison in 1973. Sonny Barger has died aged 83 after a cancer battle surrounded by his wife Zorana and his loved ones The Oakland, California, biker was the founding member of the Hells Angels motorcycling. [51] The bombings prompted the California Department of Justice to issue a warning to police departments that the Angels were engaged on a campaign to eliminate law enforcement personnel who investigated their drug activities. 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%. [66] He said of the government's case against him: "There never was a crime thought up by the Hells Angels. [32] The drug charges against Barger were later dismissed, although Howarth was convicted and sentenced to serve five years-to-life in prison. [19] The Angels declared war on the Outlaws during a summit of various chapter presidents in Rochester, New York, in November 1978. [7] Barger would later state that Hunter fired a shot that struck a Hells Angels member with what he described as "just a flesh wound. [21][66] Traveling the country at government expense, Tait made documented purchases of firearms, explosives, and drugs from various Hells Angels chapters. After Cleveland chapter president Kenny Yates was shot and wounded by Outlaws in Joliet, Illinois, on September 18, 1987, Tait told Barger that he had been to Chicago and Milwaukee to carry out reconnaissance on Outlaws clubhouses there and that he would require an alibi if he was to carry out an attack, to which Barger responded: "That would be no problem." He stated following his conviction: "I think we won very handily in there. [44], Along with fellow Hells Angels members Sergey Walton, Donald Duane "Whitey" Smith, and "Oakland" Gary Popkin, Barger was charged with the May 21, 1972, murder of Servio Winston Agero a drug dealer from McAllen, Texas, who had traveled to Oakland with a consignment of narcotics for sale which allegedly occurred following a dispute over an $80,000 cocaine deal. Updated on Sept. 16: A funeral for Sonny Barger has been planned for Sept. 24 at the Stockton 99 Speedway, the Oakland Hells Angels announced on its . The defendants shook hands with Mullen and thanked him for his testimony. They got exactly what they wanted a dark scary atmosphere to play 'Sympathy for the Devil'Just because you sing well doesn't mean you can act like a bunch of assholes to your fans and that's what they did that night at Altamont". 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. Chosen Brothers Mc (Indiana) Confederate Angels Motorcycle Club, in Richmond, Virginia (defunct) [82] [83] Deathmasters Motorcycle Club [84] Demon Knights Motorcycle Club, in New York [85] Desert Road Riders [86] Desperado's Motorcycle Club [55] Dirty Dozen Motorcycle Club, in Arizona (patched over in 1997) [87] He was previously married to Zorana Barger and Sharon Barger. The motorcycle community on a global level has lost an iconic man. Apart from what he did in his early life he was still was a very kind and genuine person and we are sending our day . Please know that I passed peacefully after a brief battle with cancer. Barger's. 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. [5] The author Hunter S. Thompson called Barger "the Maximum Leader" of the Hells Angels,[6] and Philip Martin of the Phoenix New Times described him as "the archetypical Hells Angel", saying he "didn't found the motorcycle clubbut he constructed the myth". On November 30, 2010, Barger made a guest appearance as Lenny "The Pimp" Janowitz on the season 3 finale of the FX television series Sons of Anarchy, about a fictional outlaw motorcycle club, allegedly based on the Hells Angels. [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. [41], On April 11, 1970, Barger was arrested on narcotics charges after Donald Howarth, a film studio property manager and 1967 Mr. America from Studio City, was apprehended while walking towards Barger's home with 17 ounces of cocaine and 30 ounces of heroin (with an estimated retail worth of $350,000) in a suitcase. Barger's testimony challenged earlier assertions by government witnesses who testified that Anthony Benesh, a motorcyclist who was shot dead in Austin on March 18, 2006, after attempting to establish a Hells Angels chapter in the city, was killed by Bandidos members because he had ignored the club's warnings to not set up a HAMC chapter in Texas. [14] Barger took umbrage with what he felt was the Stones' refusal to take responsibility for the catastrophe and he said in the days after the concert: "Mick Jagger, like, put it all on us. The Rough Rider: Entrepreneur. [45] Barger and his three co-defendants were acquitted on December 29, 1972, following a seven-week trial after Ivaldi's credibility came under scrutiny. [87] Barger was later a member of the Yavapai County chapter. [117] Fox News host Tucker Carlson spoke at the funeral. The biker, from California, passed away peacefully surrounded by his wife Zorana and his loved ones on June 29. Obituary Sonny Barger was a founding member of the Oakland, California Hells Angels and a bestselling author and actor. Ralph Hubert "Sonny" Barger, Jr. (October 8, 1938 - June 29, 2022) was an American outlaw biker, convicted criminal, author and actor who was a founding member of the Oakland, California chapter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club in 1957. [7] To celebrate the end of his parole, he held another private party in Livermore on November 6, 1994, which was attended by approximately 700 guests, including the politicians Gary Condit and Ben Nighthorse Campbell. [32] As a result of his imprisonment, Barger was forced to relinquish his presidency of the Oakland chapter for the first time since its inception. He will retire only when he dies. 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. 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. [87] The Angels' amalgamation of the Dirty Dozen was promulgated during a meeting in Oakland. Oakland police sergeant Edward "Ted" Hilliard testified in 1972 that he accepted guns, dynamite, and grenades from Barger personally in return for deals on arrests during at least fifteen separate meetings, the most recent of which took place in the spring of 1971. The clubs voted to ally under a "1%er" patch to be worn on their respective "colors". Report this obituary Add a photo or a video There is no photo or video of Sonny Barger. 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. I've asked that this note be posted immediately after my passing," a . By Katy St. Clair. [23] The indictments followed two car bombings targeting law enforcement officers in northern California, which were blamed on the Hells Angels. [7] When students at the University of California, Berkeley announced an anti-Vietnam War rally, the Oakland Hells Angels denounced the rally as "a despicable un-American activity". "[7] In the late 1970s, Barger and other senior Hells Angels ordered James "Buddy" Caronite, the president of the club's East Coast faction, to organize a peace conference with Outlaws leaders. If there was a contract out on him, then he'd be dead. [12][16][107], On March 7, 2003, Barger was arrested by Maricopa County Sheriff's Office deputies after a reported domestic dispute with his wife and stepdaughter at their home in New River, Arizona. Barger temporarily resigned as president of the Oakland chapter in June 1970 to fight the charges, but returned to the position within months after his successor, John "Johnny Angel" Palomar, was sentenced to a ten-year prison term for shooting a bartender. First of all we're a virtual army. His wife and family were with him when he died. Alleged kidnapping mastermind apparently fabricated family ties to Hells Angels founder, American Legend Sonny Barger celebrate his 80. [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. [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. Birthday, "Hells Angels founder Sonny Barger dies at 83", "Sonny Barger, famous Hells Angel and bestselling author, dead at 83 of cancer", Hells Angels motorcycle club leader Sonny Barger dies at age 83, Hells Angels want to hold Sonny Barger memorial service at Oakland Coliseum, "An estimated 7,000 attend funeral for Hells Angels leader Ralph "Sonny" Barger at Stockton 99 Speedway", "Tucker Carlson gives speech at Sonny Barger's funeral in Northern California", "Look Homeward Angelcycle Icon Sonny Barger Kick-Starts Life as a Free Man by Violating Parole", "Hell's author; Legendary bad-ass biker Sonny Barger and his roaring Harley are burnin' up the highways on a uh book tour? He has nothing else to live for". He also sent a telegram to the then president, Lyndon Johnson, offering Hells Angels services to provide a trained group of crack gorillas [sic] to demoralize the Viet Cong and advance the cause of freedom. A statement on his official Facebook page Thursday read . [91] On May 3, 2018, he testified in the racketeering trial of Bandidos former national president Jeffrey Fay Pike and former vice-president Xavier John Portillo after being called as a defense witness by lawyers for Pike. He was 83 years old when he died. We feel that a crack group of trained guerillas could demoralize the Viet Cong and advance the cause of freedom. Sonny Barger, a founder of the notorious Hells Angels motorcycle club, has died at 83 years old. Barger's death was announced late Wednesday, June 29, 2022, on his Facebook page. Sonny Barger, a founding member of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club who spent decades as the public face of the notorious biker gang, has died at the age of 83, according to his Facebook page. [70] Under a special arrangement approved by U.S. District Judge Edward H. Johnstone, defense attorneys subpoenaed each of the codefendants as witnesses, entitling them to per diem witness fees. [12], He married his fourth wife, Zorana (ne Katzakian), on June 25, 2005. He and Tait discussed retaliation against the Outlaws on several occasions, and Tait encouraged Barger to travel to Alaska to provide guidance to the Anchorage Hells Angels chapter on retributive action. The warning angered the Angels hierarchy, and Caronite was demoted from his position as a national officer. Submit an Obituary. We became isolated". According to the post, Sonny Barger passed away from cancer while being surrounded by his wife, Zorana, and other close family members. Tait's estranged wife, Brenda Lee Fowler, gave evidence for the defense, calling her husband a "liar, a scum and a cheater" and alleging that he dealt drugs. [23] The RICO case against the Hells Angels was the most substantial effort in federal history against the club at the time, and charged the defendants with various crimes dating back to 1971, including manufacturing and distributing methamphetamine; conspiring to commit murder; assault; use of false identification; intimidation; and bribery. 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. "[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. And I went to jail for it. It was just too bad that Irish [OFarrell] and I were convicted, but we will probably win an appeal. He joined the Hells Angels' Cave Creek chapter, and operated a motorcycle repair shop. That's the way it goes. An indifferent student, Barger quit school at 16 and joined the army. [23], Barger and his wife were among 33 members and associates of the Hells Angels' Oakland, San Francisco, Marin County, San Jose, Los Angeles, and Vallejo chapters indicted on Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) statutes on June 13, 1979. 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. Sonny Barger was born as Ralph Hubert "Sonny" Barger on 8 October 1938, in Modesto, California, the United States. [7], In 1998, Barger moved to Arizona, where he had previously served a prison sentence, with his third wife Beth Noel (ne Black) and stepdaughter Sarrah. [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. In 1979 Barger was one of 33 people charged with racketeering under federal Rico (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) laws. 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. The funeral for Sonny Barger, founder of the Hells Angels, was a private, quiet affair Saturday in . [53] The prosecution team, representing the federal government, attempted to demonstrate a pattern of behavior to convict Barger and other members of the Hells Angels of racketeering offenses related to illegal weapons and drugs. [17] After a chance encounter a member of a pre-existing Hells Angels chapter, Barger learned of the club's history, rules, regulations and procedures. [66] During one such meeting, Barger admiringly told Tait that he represented the "Hells Angel of the '90s" clean-cut, articulate, and capable of carrying out club business. The sale of the various books he has authored adds up his total earnings. Hell's Angel Sonny Barger is just a regular guy. [16] According to U.S. Attorney William Hunter, the "cornerstone" of the Hells Angels' drug enterprise was the "largescale manufacture and mass distribution of methamphetamine". Discovered in the trunk of the Pontiac were three club "prospects" William Hood, Russell Huddleston and Danny Jarman. Barger, the founder of the Oakland chapter, died in late June at the age of 83. Barger returned on November 29, 2011, in the season 4 finale, part one. Sonny Barger Death Fact Check Sonny is alive and kicking and is currently 84 years old. Election Headquarters. According to Christie, he and Bowman were working towards a peace treaty when the Outlaws leader withdrew from the negotiations. He died on 29 June 2022 in Oakland, California, USA. [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. [1] Between 1966 and 1973, the majority of his legitimate personal income was derived from advising various film projects. [85] To forestall this possibility, Barger attended the peace talks in Seattle representing the Hells Angels along with Thomas Mller of the Angels Malm chapter who was in charge of all the Hells Angels in Europe. June 30, (Reuters) - Ralph "Sonny" Barger, the Hells Angels motorcycle club leader who became the rough-hewn face of America's outlaw biker culture and the restlessness, hard living and. Passaro was acquitted on grounds of self-defence. [99], In terms of pure workmanship, personally I don't like Harleys. Sonny Barger, Face of the Hells Angels, Dies at 83 He cultivated the motorcycle club's outlaw image and was a pivotal figure in its emergence as an emblem of West Coast rebellion in the 1960s.. [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. Sonny Barger, founder of the Oakland, California chapter of the Hell's Angels, the infamous motorcycle club. A year later he and Don Boots Reeves founded the Oakland chapter of the Hells Angels, using a logo borrowed from a club in Sacramento. Perhaps the most infamous was the Rolling Stones concert at Altamont in 1969, where Hells Angels had been hired to provide .