List of recluses

This is a list of notable people who have been described as recluses, individuals who live in voluntary seclusion from the public and society. Excluded are religious hermits, as well as people who live otherwise normal lives but value their privacy.

People
Bobby Fischer, chess champion
Greta Garbo, actress
Howard Hughes, business magnate
Ted Kaczynski, domestic terrorist and mathematician
J.D. Salinger, novelist
Brian Wilson, musician
Name Year of birth Year of death Description
Syd Barrett[1][2] 1946 2006 English singer-songwriter, former leader of the band Pink Floyd
Marlon Brando[3][4] 1924 2004 American actor
Maria Callas[5][6] 1923 1977 Greek opera singer
Huguette Clark[7][8] 1906 2011 American heiress and philanthropist
John Deacon[9] 1951 English musician, songwriter and former member of the band Queen
Emily Dickinson[10][11] 1830 1886 American poet
Eliza Emily Donnithorne[12][13] 1826 1886 Australian eccentric, rumored model for Miss Havisham in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Enya[14][15] 1961 Irish singer and musician
Rod Evans[16] 1947 English singer who was the original lead singer of the band Deep Purple
Bobby Fischer[17][18] 1943 2008 American former world chess champion
Greta Garbo[19][20][21][22] 1905 1990 Swedish-American actress
Glenn Gould[23] 1932 1982 Canadian pianist
Alexander Grothendieck[24][25][26] 1928 2014 German-French mathematician
Mark Hollis[27] 1955 2019 British singer, instrumentalist and songwriter who was the lead vocalist of the band Talk Talk
Howard Hughes[19][28] 1905 1976 American business magnate, record-setting pilot, engineer, film director, and philanthropist
Ted Kaczynski[29][30] 1942 2023 American domestic terrorist known as the Unabomber
Harper Lee[31] 1926 2016 American author, wrote To Kill a Mockingbird
Pordenone Montanari[32][33] 1937 Italian painter, sculptor and philosopher
Marcel Proust[34][35] 1871 1922 French novelist of In Search of Lost Time
Thomas Pynchon[31] 1937 American novelist
J. D. Salinger[19][31] 1919 2010 American author who wrote The Catcher in the Rye
Phil Spector[36] 1940 2021 American record producer, songwriter and convicted murderer
Layne Staley[37][38] 1967 2002 American singer and songwriter who was the original lead vocalist of the band Alice in Chains
Sly Stone[39][40] 1943 American musician, songwriter and record producer
Stephen Strasburg[41][42] 1988 American baseball pitcher seldom seen following injuries and resulting surgery
Patrick Süskind[43] 1949 German writer and screenwriter
John Swartzwelder[44][45] 1949 American comedy writer best known for his work on The Simpsons
Bill Watterson[46][47] 1958 American cartoonist and the creator of Calvin and Hobbes
Brian Wilson[48][49] 1942 American musician, songwriter and record producer who led the Beach Boys
Ida Wood[50] 1838 1932 American socialite who remained in seclusion in a New York City hotel suite with two relatives for decades.
Jocky Wilson[51] 1950 2012 Scottish former world darts champion

Fictional characters
Name Work Author Notes
Miss Havisham[52] Great Expectations Charles Dickens
Lestat de Lioncourt[53] The Vampire Chronicles Anne Rice A recluse for extended periods throughout the series.
Boo Radley[54] To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee A recluse created by a famous recluse.
The Grinch[55] How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and its adaptations Dr. Seuss
Shrek[55] Shrek and its adaptations William Steig

References
  1. Audrey Gillan (12 July 2006). "Rock's crazy diamond dies after 30 years as a recluse". The Guardian. London.
  2. "13 Rock Stars Who Disappeared". Rolling Stone. 26 September 2012.
  3. Luther, Claudia; Dutka, Elaine (3 July 2004). "Obituary: Marlon Brando". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  4. Southern, Keiran (12 January 2023). "Jack Nicholson's friends fear he has become recluse like Marlon Brando". The Sunday Times.
  5. Wiley, David (12 December 2007). "The battle for Callas' belongings". BBC News.
  6. Crutchfield, Will. "The Story of a Voice". The New Yorker.
  7. Matt Schudel (24 May 2011). "Huguette Clark, copper heiress and recluse, dies at 104". The Washington Post.
  8. "Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune". 14 March 2014.
  9. "13 Rock Stars Who Disappeared". Rolling Stone. 17 September 2017. Retrieved 18 April 2022.
  10. "Emily Dickinson – Top 10 Most Reclusive Celebrities". Time. 3 June 2009. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  11. "Emily Dickinson". University of Illinois at Chicago. 3 September 1999. Archived from the original on 14 December 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
  12. J. S. Ryan. Donnithorne, Eliza Emily (1826–1886). Australian Dictionary of Biography.
  13. Yatman, Brian (16 December 2014). "Sydney eccentric: Eliza Emily Donnithorne". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  14. White, Caitlin (18 November 2015). "The Cosmos of Enya". Brooklyn Magazine. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  15. Pelly, Jenn (15 September 2020). "Enya is Everywhere". Pitchfork. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  16. "Captain Beyond : Band Member Info on ROD EVANS". 2012-03-13. Archived from the original on 2012-03-13. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
  17. Christine Toomey (20 April 2008). "Bobby Fischer's final manoeuvre". The Sunday Times. London.
  18. Stephen Moss (19 January 2008). "Death of a madman driven sane by chess". The Guardian.
  19. Andrew Martin (31 January 2010). "How to be a recluse". The Independent.
  20. "Greta Garbo: Letters reveal solitary life of Hollywood star". BBC News. 4 December 2017.
  21. Alex Duval Smith (11 September 2005). "Lonely Garbo's love secret is exposed". The Guardian.
  22. "Greta Garbo". National Portrait Gallery.
  23. Carola Vyhnak (7 October 2016). "Once Upon A City: Eccentric recluse was our greatest musician". The Star. The reclusive genius kept the behind-the-scenes aspects of his life tightly under wraps and was even rumoured to have fired a cleaning lady for her loose tongue.
  24. Matt Schudel (15 November 2014). "Alexander Grothendieck, mathematical genius who went into self-exile, dies at 86". The Washington Post.
  25. John Lichfield (15 January 2016). "Alexander Grothendieck: Legal battle over 'scribblings' of 20th century's 'greatest mathematician'". The Independent.
  26. Harvey Shoolman (25 November 2014). "Alexander Grothendieck obituary". The Guardian.
  27. Baines, Josh (2 February 2018). "How to Disappear Completely: When Musicians Retire For Good". www.vice.com. VICE NEWS. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  28. "1976: Billionaire Howard Hughes dies". BBC. 5 April 1976. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
  29. Alston Chase (June 2000). "Harvard and the Making of the Unabomber". The Atlantic Online. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  30. "On this day: 1996: 'Unabomber' suspect arrested". BBC. 3 April 1996. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  31. Paul Harris (5 February 2006). "Mockingbird author steps out of shadows". The Observer. London.
  32. Alberge, Dalya. "Italian recluse Pordenone Montanari, aged 73, hailed as a genius of art". Guardian Observer. Retrieved 15 August 2010.
  33. Rees, Jasper. "In old Italian home, new owner finds a secret master". The National. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
  34. "Top 10 Most Reclusive Celebrities". Time magazine. 3 June 2009. Archived from the original on June 11, 2009. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  35. "Marcel Proust: Death of well-known novelist". 20 November 2009. he lived like a hermit in his home, which was open to a few privileged friends
  36. Tim Cumming (2 November 2001). "I want to be alone". The Independent. London.
  37. "Rolling Stone : Just Another Bombtrack: Alice in Chains". Rolling Stone. 2006-12-06. Archived from the original on 2006-12-06. Retrieved 2023-03-30.
  38. de Sola, David (August 4, 2015). Alice in Chains: The Untold Story. Thomas Dunne Books. p. 217. ISBN 978-1250048073.
  39. Andy Greene (26 September 2012). "13 Rock Stars Who Disappeared: Sly Stone". Rolling Stone.
  40. David Kamp (3 July 2007). "Sly Stone's Higher Power". Vanity Fair.
  42. "Stephen Strasburg as reclusive as ever during long recovery from elbow surgery". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2016-04-01.
  43. Focus: Patrick Süskind - So flüchtig wie ein Duft
  44. "John Swartzwelder, Sage of "The Simpsons"". The New Yorker. 2021-05-02. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  45. "Reclusive, Revered 'Simpsons' Writer John Swartzwelder Gives First-Ever Interview". Rolling Stone. 2021-05-03. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
  46. Combe, Liv (2013-04-07). "Searching for Bill Watterson". Salon. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
  47. Rao, Mythili (June 10, 2014). "The famed, reclusive creator of 'Calvin and Hobbes' briefly returns to making comic strips". The World. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  48. McNair, James (3 September 2007). "Brian Wilson: Here Comes the Sun". The Independent. Archived from the original on 20 January 2009.
  49. Shurr, Amanda (7 June 2015). "Love & Mercy". Paste. Retrieved 7 June 2021.
  50. Karen Abbott (23 January 2013). "Everything Was Fake but Her Wealth". Smithsonian.
  51. Jackson, Jamie (2007-01-14). "The sad story of Jocky Wilson". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  52. Marjorie Kehe (7 February 2012). "Charles Dickens: His 10 most memorable characters - 4. Miss Havisham of "Great Expectations"". The Christian Science Monitor.
  53. Bell, Gabriel. "Anne Rice Vampire Chronicles Sequel - Prince Lestat". Refinery29. Refinery29. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  54. James Walton (4 March 2006). "First person singular: found! The great literary recluse". The Daily Telegraph.
  55. Janet Davison (18 December 2016). "'You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch,' but you've lasted 50 years on TV: Here's why". CBC News.
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