Colorado investigators confirm the 2005 death of Hunter S. Thompson was a suicide | Hunter S. Thompson

A review of the 2005 shooting death of journalist Hunter S. Thompson confirmed authorities’ original conclusion that his death was a suicide, Colorado investigators said Friday.

The review by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was announced in September after Thompson’s wife, Anita Thompson, contacted authorities with “new concerns and potential information regarding the investigation” into Thompson’s death, the agency said in a news release.

In a statement included in the announcement, she thanked the office for its “kind and comprehensive work.”

“This allows all of us who loved Hunter to move forward with a clear conscience,” she said.

Thompson, who popularized his first-person, gonzo style of journalism in articles and books such as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, died at his Aspen-area home in February 2005 at the age of 67.

His body was cremated and fired from a cannon at his request during a private ceremony in Colorado. Among the celebrities attending the event was actor Johnny Depp, who played the lead role in the 1998 film adaptation of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Aspen County Sheriff Michael Buglione said he believed the original investigation into Thompson’s death was conducted properly but investigators recognized the importance of conducting an independent review.

He said: “The conclusions of the Central Bank of Iraq reaffirm the original findings, and we hope that they will provide reassurance and clarity.”