Guardian (UK) reporter Rachel Cooke visits Anita Thompson, Hunter's 33-year-old widow, in Woody Creek, Colo. A lonely legacy is long and she wisely just lets Anita talk:

Two men helped her get through. One was Ralph Steadman, Hunter's friend and long-time collaborator, who sent her encouraging faxes every morning. The other - and who knows what Hunter would have made of this? - was Deepak Chopra, to whose San Diego centre she went to recuperate.

'When I came back, I was stronger. But what really saved me was writing to Hunter. I still do that every day. That helps a lot. I keep up a connection with him. It's like a portal to him in my own mind.' Has he left her well provided for? 'He's the best husband you can possibly imagine. I'm secure in terms of having a home, and I'll be working for Hunter for the rest of my life [she is helping to edit a third volume of his letters, though at present reading them is still too painful]. But not in terms of money. There isn't much money, though people think there is. But I've always known that because I worked for Hunter.'

Both photos are AP.