Hells Angels founder member Sonny Barger has died at the age of 83 from cancer at his home in California. Barger is said to have passed away peacefully with his wife Zorana and other family members by his side on Wednesday (June 29).
His death was announced in a post on his Facebook page, which he had asked to be published as soon as he died, The Sun reported. It read: "If you are reading this message, you'll know that I'm gone. I've asked that this note be posted immediately after my passing.
"I've lived a long and good life filled with adventure. And I've had the privilege to be part of an amazing club." Barger told followers to "stay loyal, remain free, and always value honour".
Barger was best known for launching the Oakland Hells Angels and is often credited for building the gang into an international organisation. It marked its 65th anniversary in April.
Barger revealed in his autobiography that he was inspired by the 1953 film The Wild One, which starred Marlon Brando.
His life was marked by a series of run-ins with the law and he served two terms in prison. In 1972, he and three others were acquitted of murdering a Texas drug dealer and setting a home on fire. But he was sentenced to 10 years to life behind bars in 1973 after he was convicted of possession of narcotics and a weapon by a convicted felon.
He was paroled in November 1977 after serving four-and-a-half years of his sentence. After being released, Barger said he was unaware if he would continue leading the motorcycle gang.
In 1979, he was among 33 people indicted on charges that violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. The legislation, signed by President Richard Nixon, explicitly aimed to combat organized crime across the United States. Barger was acquitted in 1980 after a split verdict.
In 1982, the biker was diagnosed with cancer of the larynx and had his vocal cords removed, smoking a last cigarette on his way into the operating theatre, but later becoming an outspoken anti-smoking campaigner.
In 1987, Barger was arrested on charges relating to narcotics, weapons, and explosives as FBI agents and state law enforcement carried out a series of raids. Law enforcement officials said he was accused of transporting and receiving explosives designed to "kill, maim or threaten".
Police also he was suspected of being involved in the murder of John Cleve Webb, the president of the Hells Angels in Anchorage, Alaska. John Van de Kamp, the then California attorney general said police seized more than 100 weapons and a million dollars in cash and drugs as more than two dozen raids were executed.
Barger was convicted of conspiracy in October 1988 and was sentenced to four years in jail. He was released from FCI Phoenix in November 1992 after serving three-and-a-half years behind bars.
In 2010, he made his debut playing a biker serving life for murdering three federal agents in the television series Sons of Anarchy. He appeared in three episodes of the show.
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