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[32] Barger married Gruhlke while he was incarcerated at Folsom State Prison in 1973. The death of Aquarius. The funeral was heavily attended; thousands of bikers descended on Stockton for the 6-hour affair. While infighting did take place between the chapters, conflicts predominantly arose with other clubs such as the Gypsy Jokers. He was 83. In October 1965 some Angels attacked an anti-war demonstration in Berkeley, California; six were arrested. He also displayed another copy of the EPIC manual and explained how to use it to fellow Hells Angels at an Oakland chapter meeting. [84][83], In 1997, the government of Denmark contemplated banning all outlaw biker clubs in response to the Great Nordic Biker War. "[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. [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. The club's organized crime wasn't particularly. 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. In 1987, he was again arrested on federal conspiracy charges of drug and gun running in California, but found himself on trial in Louisville, Kentucky, accused of supplying explosives to destroy the Outlaws motorcycle gang there in a territorial dispute. Barger. [12], In 1983, Barger was diagnosed with throat cancer after years of heavy smoking. [7] He appears in the documentary film about the Altamont Free Concert: Gimme Shelter (1970). Sonny Barger was born on 8 October 1938 in Modesto, California, USA. 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. There are seven [Hells Angels] chapters in England and he comes over here a lot. Sonny Barger, a founding member of the Hells Angels who provided security at a notorious and fatal Rolling Stones show in 1969, has died. He was 83. [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. Sonny Barger Death Fact Check Sonny is alive and kicking and is currently 84 years old. [53] The defense maintained that the club should not be held accountable for crimes committed by individual members. Please know that I passed peacefully after a brief battle with cancer. After the spate of publicity the Hells Angels received in 1965, Barger had the club's name copyrighted. [91], In 1998, peace talks were opened to end the long-standing biker war with the Outlaws, which was largely because the conflict was bringing down too much police pressure on both clubs. [95], In 2000, Barger became a bestselling author with his autobiography, Hell's Angel: The Life and Times of Sonny Barger and the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. [42] Barger was, however, sentenced to ninety days in jail after walking out of a court session. Barger's death was announced in a self-written Facebook post. He escaped drug-dealing, kidnapping and murder charges, but was finally convicted in 1973 of possession of heroin and firearms. [105], Barger's first wife Elsie Mae (ne George) died on February 1, 1967, from an embolism in her bloodstream after undergoing an illegal abortion. Sonny Barger has acquired notoriety throughout the years for his contentious career and court difficulties. Later that year, Barger suffered a fractured skull during a fight with Oakland police. The defendants shook hands with Mullen and thanked him for his testimony. [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. His prostate was removed and he was subsequently declared free of cancer.[112]. The term refers to a comment allegedly made by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) that 99% of motorcyclists were law-abiding citizens, implying the last one percent were outlaws. [7] Although the basic organization was in place when Barger took over leadership of the club, he introduced additional rules pertaining to new members, club officers, and the establishment of new chapters. It was something he had earned, but also an image he. [48] He was paroled on November 3, 1977, after serving four-and-a-half years of his sentence. [88] Barger transferred over from the Oakland chapter to the newly formed Cave Creek charter in October 1998. [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. Barger, the leather-clad figurehead of the notorious Hells Angels motorcycle club, has died at age 83. [106] The marriage ended in divorce. [17] Under Barger's leadership, the club's membership began to increase. "[6] Barger continually denied that he was the Hells Angels' leader or that Oakland was the club's headquarters, however, saying: "Theres no charter that's the boss. [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. Barger then made plans to provide an alibi for Tait. [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. When the overall president was sent to prison in 1958, Sonny, aged 20, replaced him, and moved the mother chapter to Oakland. He was 83. 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. Having given his word to the Outlaws that they would be safe at the meeting, Caronite who characterised himself as a "man of honor" reportedly warned away the Outlaws when he learned of the assassination plot. 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. [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. [92] Mel Chancey, the president of the Hells Angels Chicago chapter who served as their lead negotiator, met with Barger in the spring of 1998 to discuss the negotiating terms. [63] A female juror was excused from duty after her son was threatened by a group of Hells Angels at a downtown Toledo bar that he would have "lots of problems" if his mother did not "vote the right way". I think it was a devastating blow to the government, and I couldnt be happier with the verdict except if I had been found innocent myself. [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. Zorana and Sonny had married in 2005, the year he wrote Freedom: Credos From the Road, a compendium of his wisdom and guide to life. 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. [55], By 1978, the Hells Angels had chapters in Nebraska, Massachusetts, Ohio, New York, Connecticut, North Carolina and South Carolina. [109] He and Noel later divorced. [31] In the late 1960s, Barger began selling heroin and also developed an addiction to cocaine. His mother, Kathryn (nee Ritch), ran off with a bus driver when Sonny was four; he was raised by his grandmother and his father, an alcoholic who took his young son with him on crawls through the seamens bars. Barger's. And I've had the privilege to be part of an amazing club. Sonny Barger, Hells Angels founder, dies at 83 June 30, 2022, 10:07 AM The FBI classified the Hells Angels as a criminal enterprise, but Sonny Barger denied that status frequently.. I've asked that this note be posted immediately after my passing," a . [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. Hells Angels founder Ralph "Sonny" Barger and his wife Sharon are shown after his release on $100,000 bond in San Francisco, Aug. 1, 1980. The Hells Angels want to hold the memorial service in the Coliseum parking lot in August. Sonny Barger, the founder of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, died on June 29 after a long battle with cancer. He lent the EPIC manual to Tait for photocopying after Anchorage chapter president Edwin Hubert, who also expressed retaliatory sentiment after Webb's killing, instructed Tait to acquire a copy of the manual in September 1986. 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. His wife and relatives were with him. Report this obituary Add a photo or a video There is no photo or video of Sonny Barger. Flowers were laid in front of the Sonoma County Hells Angels chapter on Thursday . [87] Barger's role within the Arizona Hells Angels was reportedly an advisory position, as he did not hold officer status and he rarely attended rallies or public events. It was something he had earned, but also an image he cultivated with charisma and shrewdness, turning Hells Angels into a worldwide brand. Obituary Sonny Barger was a founding member of the Oakland, California Hells Angels and a bestselling author and actor. 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. He has acquired his income from his various appearances in films and television series. [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. 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] His criminal record began in 1963 after he was arrested for possession of marijuana. Hood and Jarman told police that the incident was merely an initiation hazing. 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). The supposed peace meeting, scheduled to be held in an eastern state, was in fact an opportunity for the Hells Angels to assassinate their rivals' leadership, according to investigators. Barger claimed to have been sitting on stage drinking beer when the violence was taking place. [23] The indictments followed two car bombings targeting law enforcement officers in northern California, which were blamed on the Hells Angels. 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. 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. "[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. I ended up not liking him at all, a tall skinny, typical hillbilly from Kentucky. [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. I've asked that this note be posted immediately after my passing. The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club is Sonny Barger's life. 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 Funeral | Sonny Barger, Face of the Hells Angels, Dies at 83 | Sonny Barger Obituary.Sonny Barger, biker outlaw and founder of Hells Angels, pas. Barger, the founder of the Oakland chapter, died in late June at the age of 83. [12][113][114] His death was announced in a Facebook post reading: If you are reading this message, you'll know that I'm gone. [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. His first wife, Elsie Mae (nee George), had died of an embolism in 1967 after a then illegal abortion. 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. 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."