Sonny Barger, the bigger-than-life godfather of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, equal parts brawler, bully, braggart, rule breaker, and shrewd huckster of his own outlaw mystique, died June 29 at his home in Livermore, Calif. He was 83.
Barger’s former attorney, Fritz Clapp, told The Associated Press that Barger had liver cancer and died Wednesday night at home in Livermore, California. Barger composed the post placed on the Facebook page managed by Barger’s wife, Zorana, he said.
Ralph Hubert “Sonny” Barger, born on October 8, 1938, was an American outlaw biker, author, and actor who was a founding member (1957) of the Oakland, California chapter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club.
He authored five books and appeared on television and in film. Ralph Hubert Barger was born in Modesto, California on October 8, 1938. His mother abandoned the family when Barger was four months old, leaving him and his older sister Shirley to be raised by their grandmother and alcoholic father.
Growing up in Oakland, he was suspended from school several times for assaulting teachers, and he often fought with other boys. He dropped out of school in the tenth grade.