Yep! Johnny Depp reportedly spent $3 million firing Hunter S. Thompson’s ashes from a cannon. Because that’s exactly what the gonzo journalist wanted.
“All I’m doing is trying to make sure his last wish comes true,” Depp once said (via The Guardian). “I just want to send my pal out the way he wants to go out.”
Thompson, the legendary writer behind Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, had made it clear before his death in 2005: he wanted his ashes blasted into the sky in a grand, fiery send-off. Depp, who played Thompson in the 1998 film adaptation of the same name, made sure it happened.
The extravagant ceremony involved a 47-meter tower built on Thompson’s Colorado farm, topped with a cannon that launched his remains into the night. According to his widow, Anita, the explosive farewell fit him perfectly.
Depp didn’t just fund the spectacle. He made sure it was a star-studded farewell. The guest list included Hollywood heavyweights like Jack Nicholson, Sean Penn, Bill Murray, John Cusack, Benicio del Toro, and even politician John Kerry. It was the kind of chaotic, over-the-top tribute Thompson himself would have written about.
But while Depp honored his friend’s final wish, his finances were reportedly spiraling. The $3 million cannon blast was just one of many jaw-dropping expenses his former managers at The Management Group later claimed he indulged in.
According to their lawsuit, Depp burned through millions – $18 million on a yacht, $4 million on a failed record label, $30,000 a month on wine, and $200,000 a month on private planes. Their countersuit, responding to Depp’s $25 million fraud claim against them, alleged that he ignored warnings about his spending and insisted they “find some way to pay for it all.”
“Depp, and Depp alone, is fully responsible for any financial turmoil he finds himself in today,” their legal filing stated. The actor, however, painted a different picture, accusing his former managers of mishandling his fortune and taking out unauthorized loans in his name.
Financial troubles aside, Depp’s career had also hit turbulence. Alice Through the Looking Glass flopped at the box office, making just $77 million in the U.S. compared to the first film’s $344 million. He was named Hollywood’s worst value actor by Forbes – twice. Even an Oscar-nominated turn in Black Mass couldn’t fully shake a string of disappointments like Mortdecai, Transcendence, and The Lone Ranger.
Still, Depp remained a fan favorite. He made a surprise appearance in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and later returned to his most iconic role, Captain Jack Sparrow, in Pirates of the Caribbean 6. In 2017, he won the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Movie Icon.
From blasting ashes into the sky to navigating legal and financial storms, Depp’s life had never been ordinary. One thing was certain: he always lived on his own terms, no matter the cost.
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