Monday 20 June 2011

Reclusive Celebrities


Reclusive Celebrities
Reclusive Celebrities. On the heels of this popular singer's recent announcement, and her preparation for yet another musical hiatus, we take a look at celebrities who favor seclusion instead of the spotlight. Their reclusiveness and eccentricities are part of their great allure.
Lauryn Hill
This rapper and R&B artist, the former lead singer of this hip-hop band, is notoriously averse to the spotlight. In a rare interview, she sheds light on the reasons for her 10-year hiatus from music.
Michael Jackson
The genius of the King of Pop is often overshadowed by his eccentricities and his troubled personal life, which he preferred to keep out of the spotlight. This beloved superstar put out one of the best-selling albums of all time and inspired many tributes after his death.
Greta Garbo
Known for her famous line "I want to be alone," this Swedish-born Hollywood actress captivated audiences with her beauty and talent, and her mysterious persona helped elevate her into legend. After making 27 films, she fled from stardom and spent the last 50 years of her life as a recluse.
Axl Rose
The lead singer of this '80s rock band has isolated himself several times, allowing a few rare interviews to break a 15-year silence. His new album, highlighting his misanthropic tendencies and paranoia, received disappointing reviews and sent him back into another reclusive funk.
Julia Roberts
While she certainly hasn't reached the recluse status of some of the other celebs on this list, Roberts enjoys quiet time with her husband and kids, away from the limelight, on her 50-acre ranch in this New Mexico town.
J.D. Salinger
Famous for not wanting to be famous, this fiction writer penned a legendary book that brought him worldwide acclaim. In spite of his literary success, he spent several decades in self-imposed isolation at a 90-acre compound in this New Hampshire town, where he reportedly continued to write but refused to publish anything.
Sly Stone
He was the frontman of this pioneering funk band before disappearing from the scene with a drug addiction. With a reputation for not showing up for concerts and interviews, he surprised everyone with this public performance, his first in nearly 20 years.
Emily Dickinson
She was nicknamed "the woman in white" by the people of her town, and there is much speculation about why this eminent poet lived such a solitary life. She maintained some correspondences but spent much of her life behind closed doors.
The Wachowski siblings
While more elusive than reclusive, the siblings are best known as the masterminds behind this acclaimed film series. They tend to avoid the press for interviews, photographs and even at the premieres of their movies, including their latest one.
Johnny Depp
This notoriously private superstar bought his own island in this tropical region after the filming of this hit movie. He enjoys relaxing with his family, preferring to avoid the attention of fans.
Howard Hughes
An enterprising multimillionaire at a young age, this aviator, film producer and bizarre recluse struggled with mental illness and drugs and spent the last 20 years of his life isolated in hotel penthouses. This biographical movie, starring a popular actor, offers a glimpse into his eccentric life.
Thomas Pynchon
Called the world's most successful media fugitive, this enigmatic novelist garnered praise for a postmodern epic and for effectively shunning the media for four decades. In fact, two of his only public appearances were guest spots, with a bag over his head, on this popular cartoon.
Syd Barrett
The singer and songwriter of this iconic space-rock band struggled with mental illness and drug use and ended up having a mental breakdown. The movie based on his life documents his rise and fall, which ends with several years in anonymous solitude in his native city.
Harper Lee
After the instant and overwhelming success of her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, she retreated from public view, regularly turning down interviews. She is said to be pleased with the adaptation of her only published book into a movie.
Terrence Malick
The allure of this filmmaker partly comes from his revered work and partly from his refusal to speak with the press or public. From his acclaimed 1973 debut to his new movie released last month, his work is always anticipated, even if not much is known about the man himself.
Agnetha Faltskog
Her overwhelming fame as a member of this Swedish pop group led her to disappear from public view to a remote Swedish island. She lived there peacefully for 17 years before facing her phobias and releasing her solo albums.

Source:specials.msn