Sonny Barger, the leather-clad figurehead of the notorious Hells Angels motorcycle club, has died. [87] The Angels' amalgamation of the Dirty Dozen was promulgated during a meeting in Oakland. Barger left Arizona in October 2016, returning to the Oakland chapter. He has acquired his income from his various appearances in films and television series. [66], Operation CACUS concluded on November 10, 1987, when 38 Hells Angels members and associates in Alaska, California, Kentucky, North Carolina and South Carolina were arrested on various narcotics, weapons, explosives, and conspiracy charges. Barger's. His father had German and Dutch ancestry, and his mother was of Italian descent. biker-gang rumble leaves 1 dead, 10 hurt, A founder of the Hells Angels testifies for ex-Bandidos leader. The Oakland police reportedly stood aside and let the attack commence, whereas the Berkeley police intervened to stop the bikers from assaulting the protesters. He also attested that the FBI had asked him to fake his own death in order to further their investigation against the Hells Angels, to which he refused. Unable to travel to the trial in San Antonio, Texas due to medical reasons, Barger testified via video link from the federal courthouse in San Francisco, denying that the Hells Angels and the Bandidos were enemies. Sonny Barger, a founding member of the Hells Angels who provided security at a notorious and fatal Rolling Stones show in 1969, has died. Sonny Barger Biography- Salary, Net worth, Married, Affair, Wife [21] The author and journalist Hunter S. Thompson wrote in his 1967 book Hell's Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs that "in any gathering of Hell's Angels, there is no doubt who is running the show", describing Barger as "a 6-foot, 170-pound warehouseman from East Oakland, the coolest head in the lot, and a tough, quick-thinking dealer when any action starts", and saying of him: "By turns he is a fanatic, a philosopher, a brawler, a shrewd compromiser and a final arbitrator. [21][66] Traveling the country at government expense, Tait made documented purchases of firearms, explosives, and drugs from various Hells Angels chapters. [79][80][81][82] In another New Year's Eve speech on December 31, 1994, Bowman declared that the Outlaws would in turn attack the Hells Angels in California. 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. 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. He was previously married to Zorana Barger and Sharon Barger. [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. 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. He was 83 years old. 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. In October 1965 some Angels attacked an anti-war demonstration in Berkeley, California; six were arrested. 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? Sonny Barger, counterculture force and face of the Hells Angels, dies Barger then made plans to provide an alibi for Tait. The Pontiac struck a tree after its tires were shot out by pursuing park rangers, and England and Stefanson fled into the brush only to be apprehended later. [62] Wearing their "colors", the bikers rode their motorcycles past the residence of assistant county prosecutor James Bates, visited the neighbors of jurors after obtaining a list of prospective jurors in the case, and circled the courthouse in black vans with "Hells Angels" painted on the side. [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. Sonny Barger, biker outlaw and founder of Hells Angels, dies at 83 [33], Barger was one of the Hells Angels present at the Rolling Stones' Altamont Free Concert on December 6, 1969, at which the bikers were reportedly paid $500 worth of beer to provide security. [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. The funeral was heavily attended; thousands of bikers descended on Stockton for the 6-hour affair. Sonny Barger would not pull up roots, after forty years in the Bay Area, on a whim. I've lived a long and good life filled with adventure. [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. [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. Sonny Barger age, height, weight, net worth 2023, wife, kids, gay "[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. 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. [17] Unlike the World War II veterans who formed the early Hells Angels chapters, many of the founding members of the Oakland chapter were former servicemen with disreputable military records. Please, The subscription details associated with this account need to be updated. Death of Sonny Barger Date of Death: June 29, 2022 Died at Age: 83 years Day of Death: Wednesday Place of death: United States (us) Death Anniversary: in 121 days Time since death: 244 days = 1 years Find a funeral services More informations Sex: male Time since birth: 30824 days = 85 years Days of Life: 30580 days = 83 years Time since death: 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. [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. Sonny Barger in 1979, the year he was charged with racketeering offences of which he was acquitted. The funeral for Sonny Barger, founder of the Hells Angels, was a private, quiet affair Saturday in . [23] Six Hells Angels members were arrested and a Berkeley police sergeant suffered a broken leg in the brawl. Barger claimed to have been sitting on stage drinking beer when the violence was taking place. And I went to jail for it. [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. [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. His future wife Sharon was a co-defendant; her case ended in a mistrial when a jury failed to reach a verdict. Hells Angels funeral for Sonny Barger expected to draw thousands as [3] After forming the Oakland chapter, Barger was instrumental in unifying various disparate Hells Angels chapters and had the club incorporated in 1966. The death of Aquarius. Hood and Jarman told police that the incident was merely an initiation hazing. [42] Barger was, however, sentenced to ninety days in jail after walking out of a court session. Sonny Barger, Figurehead Of Hells Angels, Dies At 83 "[5], Barger was employed as a machine operator from 1960 to 1965, when he was dismissed due to extended absences. They affiliated with the Angels mother chapter in San Bernadino; the clubs unified primarily by their battles with the Jokers. White people were scared of us. Sonny Barger, figurehead of Hells Angels, dies at 83 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. He joined the Hells Angels' Cave Creek chapter, and operated a motorcycle repair shop. Members who were of little value to the Hells Angels were drummed out, and intravenous drug use was banned by the club. 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. Barger, the leather-clad figurehead of the notorious Hells Angels motorcycle club, has died at age 83. [7] According to police intelligence reports, he had designated San Jose chapter president Fillmore Cross as his international successor during a motorcycle run at Bass Lake prior to his imprisonment. Report this obituary Add a photo or a video There is no photo or video of Sonny Barger. His first wife, Elsie Mae (nee George), had died of an embolism in 1967 after a then illegal abortion. With warfare between gangs intensifying, in 2002 he tried to organise a peace conference at the Laughlin River Run rally in Nevada, but a battle between Hells Angels and Mongols left three dead, and the conference was cancelled. 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. Furthermore, the Appeals Court ruled that the district court did not act in error to sentence Barger under the federal guidelines. [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. He was convicted of aggravated assault, but he served only eight days in jail. Sonny (Ralph Hubert) Barger, motorcycle club leader, born 8 October 1938; died 29 June 2022, Longtime Hells Angels president who cultivated his outlaw image and turned the motorcycle club into a global brand, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Birthday: October 8, 1938 How Old - Age: 84 Recently Passed Away Celebrities and Famous People. For over 60 years, Barger was the quintessential leader and one of the early founding members of the Harley Davidson straddling countercultural organisation. He also displayed another copy of the EPIC manual and explained how to use it to fellow Hells Angels at an Oakland chapter meeting. The biker, from California, passed away peacefully surrounded by his wife Zorana and his loved ones on June 29. [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. Barger had liked the discipline, masculine camaraderie, and learning how to disassemble weapons. The Modesto native is credited with creating the first Oakland chapter of the Hells Angels, an outlaw . The blacks and Latinos didn't like us. Although I've had a public persona for decades, i've mostly enjoyed special time with my club brothers, my family, and close friends. According to the post, Sonny Barger passed away from cancer while being surrounded by his wife, Zorana, and other close family members. [32] The drug charges against Barger were later dismissed, although Howarth was convicted and sentenced to serve five years-to-life in prison. [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. [35] He blamed the Rolling Stones' extended delay before making an onstage appearance for worsening the hostility of the crowd, and said the Hells Angels refused to act as bodyguards for "a bunch of sissy, marble-mouthed prima donnas" when the band asked the bikers to escort them to the stage. (KTXL) A funeral will be held in Stockton this weekend for Ralph "Sonny" Barger, the founder of the Oakland Hells Angels chapter who passed away in June from cancer. At the age of eighty-three, Ralph "Sonny" Barger, a founding member of the Hell's Angels motorcycle club, has died. [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. Alleged kidnapping mastermind apparently fabricated family ties to Hells Angels founder, American Legend Sonny Barger celebrate his 80. As the longtime president of the Hells Angels motorcycle club, Sonny Barger, who has died aged 83, was the epitome of the outlaw biker. Sonny Barger Death Fact Check, Birthday & Age | Dead or Kicking 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. [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. Around a hundred Hells Angels wearing full "colors" attended the trial, as did the country singer Johnny Paycheck, a friend of Barger. 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. [7] Barger was formally indicted on December 15, 1987, along with twenty others. Funeral for Hells Angels leader Sonny Barger set to happen Saturday in [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". 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. 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." [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. By 1960, the Oakland Hells Angels had established an extensive narcotics network within the club. When a band of rootless outlaws on Harley-Davidsons started cutting a swathe of chaos through America, Sonny Barger emerged as maximum leader of the Hells Angels. LIVE STREAM Sonny Barger's Funeral Service @ Speed Union TV - Sat Sept Insert image . 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". Wish you were here. I ended up not liking him at all, a tall skinny, typical hillbilly from Kentucky. Barger denied the claims of a murder contract on Jagger in an interview with the Phoenix New Times in 1992, saying: "I personally don't like the guy, but that doesn't mean I want him dead. Just like I'm sure some cops have sold methamphetamines. [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. 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. Having stage III laryngeal cancer, he underwent a total laryngectomy with bilateral functional neck dissections. Sonny Barger was a founding member of the Oakland, California Hells Angels and a bestselling author and actor. For the politician, see, Barger, Sonny; Zimmerman, Keith; and Zimmerman, Kent, Hell's Angels: The Strange and Terrible Saga of the Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, Federal Correctional Institution, Phoenix, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, "Sonny Barger, Face of the Hells Angels, Dies at 83", "Hells Angels founder Ralph Hubert "Sonny" Barger, Jr., laid to rest at North Bay cemetery", "How Hell's Angels 'maximum leader' Sonny Barger got convicted in Louisville and still 'won', "Look Homeward Angel: Cycle Icon Sonny Barger Kick-Starts Life As A Free Man By Violating Parole", "Sonny Barger, counterculture force and face of the Hells Angels, dies", "Hells Angels founder Sonny Barger dies after cancer battle", "Sonny Barger, biker outlaw and founder of Hells Angels, dies at 83", Compelling And Captivating Accounts In Hells Angels Sociology, "Hell's Angels on Trial: Tales of Drugs & Death", "U.S. Drug Investigation Brings a Round of Arrests for Hell's Angels", "Hells Angels vs. Allen Ginsberg: The unlikely Vietnam War-era confrontation", Ralph "Sonny" Barger Confronts VDC / Press Conference, Angels, Protesters and Patriots: What a Long-Ago Skirmish Says About Love of Country, Angels in Court: The Strange Tale of Baby Huey, "Jail Terms Deplete Ranks of Hell's Angels", "Just a Shot Away: Peace, Love, and Tragedy With the Rolling Stones at Altamont", "In search of Altamont, 50 years after the hippie dream died", The Rolling Stones Vs. It was something he had earned, but also an image he cultivated with charisma and shrewdness, turning Hells Angels into a worldwide brand. He was convicted and served three and a half years of a four-year sentence; he insisted he had been entrapped by the FBI. It was something he had earned, but also an image he. Thousands turned out for the six-hour funeral service for Ralph "Sonny" Barger, 83. $7,000 worth of heroin and $2,500 worth of other narcotics were confiscated, as were firearms including an M16 rifle, two shotguns, and an M1 carbine and a large cache of ammunition, knives, chains, and suspected stolen merchandise. 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. [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. Thousands of people are. Fourteen months later he was discharged honourably, as he had lied about his age to join without parental permission. [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. Hells Angels founder Ralph Hubert "Sonny" Barger, Jr., laid to rest at Details of death:. [87] Barger was later a member of the Yavapai County chapter. As the longtime president of the Hells Angels motorcycle club, Sonny Barger, who has died aged 83, was the epitome of the outlaw biker. [19] On November 19, 1965, five Hells Angels led by Barger held a press conference at their bail bondsman's office, announcing that the club would not attend the protest the following day as "Any physical encounter would only produce sympathy for this mob of traitors", according to Barger. [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. 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. 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. [93] The talks began on July 18, 1998, in the Copacabana strip club in the Illinois town of Alsip with Edward "Shock" Anastas, the president of the Outlaws Milwaukee chapter, serving as their lead negotiator. Born Ralph Barger Jr in Modesto, California, Sonny grew up in the tough port area of Oakland, where his father, Ralph Sr, was a dock worker.