Sonny Barger

Ralph Hubert Barger (born October 8, 1938 – June 29, 2022), better known as Sonny Barger, was an American outlaw biker, author, and actor who was a founding member of the Oakland, California chapter of the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club in 1957. He authored five books, and appeared on television and in film. Barger joined his first motorcycle club, the Oakland Panthers, in 1956. After that club disbanded, he started riding with another group of bikers, one of whom, Don "Boots" Reeves, wore a patch – a small skull wearing an aviator cap set within a set of wings – that belonged to a defunct motorcycle club in North Sacramento. Founding their own club named the Hells Angels on April 1, 1957, each member wore the patch, later known as the Hells Angels' "Death's Head" logo, after having duplicates made at a trophy store in Hayward. Barger and the Oakland Hells Angels were unaware at the time that there were several other, loosely affiliated, clubs using the same name throughout California