other friends were not happy at his death . " i wasn ' t surprised , " said george stranahan , a former owner of the woody creek tavern , a favourite friend of thompson . " i never expected hunter to die in a hospital bed with bubbles coming out of him . " friends have noted where his broken leg had forbidden him from leaving his house as much as he had liked to . one neighbour and well - standing friend , mike cleverly , suggested dawson was clearly hamstrung by the broken leg . " medically reported , he ' s had a rotten decade . "
The Woody Creek Tavern is owned by George Stranahan.