Christopher Hitchens

Profession: Author, Journalist and Orator

Biography: One of the most prolific polemicists and social critics in modern public discourse, Hitchens' eloquent and confrontational style of debate and public speaking made him an immensely popular intellectual, as well as a controversial public figure.

He wrote for numerous publications in his career, including Vanity Fair, The Nation and the New Statesman. Long describing himself as a leftist and a social democrat, he broke from the established left after criticizing its reaction to the Satanic Verses controversy and the Bosnian War, and he eventually came to support the Iraq War.

Hitchens was known for his excoriation of public figures such as Bill Clinton, Henry Kissinger, Mother Teresa and Princess Diana. In later life he became known primarily for his deep criticisms of religion, publishing his best-selling God is Not Great in 2007, as well as for his numerous debates on the public circuit globally.

Born: April 13, 1949
Birthplace: Portsmouth, Hampshire, England

Generation: Baby Boomer
Chinese Zodiac: Ox
Star Sign: Aries

Died: December 15, 2011 (aged 62)
Cause of Death: Esophageal cancer