Christopher Hitchens needed alcohol to sustain him in his barren view of life. He spent his life attacking religion because he had nothing to defend! He needed religion because without it he would have been lost! It was his main source of inspiration: the very fact that he never expressed doubt or fear about his convictions demonstrates that atheism was his religion. He worshipped his own opinion as if he were an infallible authority. Intellectual pride was the fatal flaw at the root of his scheme of things because unwillingness to admit we may be wrong is a sign of weakness not strength. It demonstrates that we are unreasonable and incapable of intellectual development. As you point out "The atheists or non-religious mostly remain where they are." They are trapped in the hole they have dug for themselves. 

And a reputation based on notoriety is not worth having. It makes money at the expense of moral integrity. To attack Mother Teresa and Pope Francis who have done far more to help poor people than he ever did is evidence of spiritual decadence. They will be remembered long after he is forgotten because he has left nothing but cynicism and despair. By their fruits you shall know them...