Stars Attend Hunter S. Thompson Memorial

ASPEN, Colo. – Johnny Depp (search) and Bill Murray (search), who both portrayed Hunter S. Thompson (search) in films, joined Sean Penn, Jack Nicholson and others over the weekend to remember the gonzo journalist at a private memorial.

Depp, who played the part of Thompson in "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" (search), read a passage from the book in which Thompson rues the end of the '60s, according to a Rocky Mountain News reporter.

The reporter was given permission by Thompson's family after Saturday's memorial to report on the event.

The eccentric Thompson, 67, shot himself at his home near Aspen on Feb. 20 after weeks of pain from a host of physical problems that included a broken leg and a hip replacement.

At the memorial, neighbor and actor Don Johnson remembered once asking Thompson: What is the sound of one hand clapping? Thompson responded by slapping Johnson across the face.