Hunter S Thompson's final wish will be granted when his ashes are blasted from a giant cannon in August.

The gun-loving writer will go out with a bang from a cannon mounted inside a 16-metre-high (53ft) sculpture of his trademark "gonzo" fist - a clenched hand on an upthrust forearm with the word gonzo written on it.

"It's expensive, but worth every penny," his wife, Anita Thompson, said. "I'd like to have several explosions. He loved explosions."

The 67-year-old journalist, best remembered for tales of drink and drug-fuelled adventures such as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, was speaking to his wife on the phone before he put down the receiver and shot himself in the head in February.

The cannon will be fired in the grounds of his home in Aspen, Colorado. It would be the centrepiece of a public celebration of Thompson's life, his wife said. The fist will be mounted on a 30-metre pillar, and will become a permanent fixture on the property. PA, New York

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