(1936–89), U.S. social and political activist; longhair political-prankster symbol of 1960s radicalism, born in Worcester, Mass.; manipulated media with street (“guerrilla”) theater; trying to involve hippies in antiwar movement and civil rights, founded Youth International party (Yippies) 1968; most famous staged protest was bloody battle at 1968 Democratic national convention, which led to raucous Chicago 7 trial for conspiracy to incite a riot (convictions overturned); to avoid trial after arrest for selling cocaine, went underground 1974; cut his trademark unruly hair and lived as free-lance writer-activist Barry Freed in upstate New York; resurfaced 1980; apparent suicide, died in 1989 from alcohol-sedative overdose; books include ‘Steal This Book', ‘Soon to Be a Major Motion Picture', ‘Steal This Urine Test'.