Writer’s ashes to be shot into air

Friends and family of gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson are preparing to pepper the sky with the late writer’s ashes.

His cremated remains will be shot into the air Aug. 20 from a cannon installed on a 150-foot tower behind his home in Woody Creek, Colo. The 67-year-old Thompson, who had been in failing health, shot himself at his home on Feb. 20 after a long and flamboyant career.

Johnny Depp, a close friend of Thompson’s, has hired a Beverly Hills events planner to oversee the event, which will be closed to the public. Anita Thompson, the writer’s widow, said a public commemoration of Thompson will be held later.