Maverick journalist and thorn in the side of the right – as well as the left over the war against Iraq – Christopher Hitchens has succumbed to the esophageal cancer and passed away. An outspoken commentator who took no hostages and didn’t speak with his right wing counterpart sibling Peter, Christopher was a supporter of gay rights and a champion in condemning attacks from religious bigots and challenging religious bigotry.

Married with two children, Christopher Hitchens identified as  heterosexual, but averred that he had gay affairs in his youth and claimed to have slept with two male Tory cabinet ministers. An outspoken atheist, he spoke in favour of LGB rights and demanded of certain Christians that they explain why God would want his flock to destroy a group of people he had created. He was a ferocious opponent in debate and there is a wealth of opportunity to see him in action; just Google Christopher Hitchens.

No stranger to controversy, Hitchens hit the headlines by attacking Mother Theresa as a charlatan who used her power and financial gains to fund a bid to rid the world of abortion. More recently, he alienated many on the left by supporting Bush and Blair’s attack on Iraq, insisting that Saddam Hussein had to be removed from power as he was worse than Stalin. A debate with anti-war campaigner and Respect party leader George Galloway was one of the most vitriolic ever seen on television

A heavy smoker and an alcoholic, Hitchens made no bones about the fact that his lifestyle led to his ill health. But he was never bitter about his condition and friends say he wrote and worked until his last hours.

A great writer and polemicist, Chrisopher Hitchens’ words will impact for many years to come.