Thompson died behind typewriter

Hunter Thompson's son Juan and daughter in-law Jennifer Winkel were in the house when the writer killed himself. Sounding remarkably calm and analytical, they say Thompson talked for years about ending his own life via firearm. The family watched
The Maltese Falcon their last night together.

Thompson died behind his typewriter in the kitchen — the area that doubled as his work space and tripled as a salon of ideas and celebrities who would drop by for a whiskey or call in on the famous speakerphone.

When Thompson fired his .45-caliber handgun at 5:42 p.m., Winkel Thompson was with Will in the adjacent living room. Juan Thompson was in a nearby office. Both thought the explosion was a book falling.

Winkel Thompson continued playing 20 questions with Will. Juan Thompson continued taking a photo.

Until a few minutes later.

"When I found him, he was in his chair, his head was slumped forward," Juan Thompson recounted. "It looked like he had fallen asleep. I saw him. I thought, 'Oh, did he fall asleep in his chair?'

[rocky mountain news]