Frank Zappa claimed in interviews to have no friends, only employees. And given the way he treated her I doubt that his wife was a “friend” in any real sense of the word. From everything I’ve read it seems that his kids were ignored for the most part. He was a gifted musician but a profoundly defective human being.
IN MY OPINION, no I didn’t know any of them personally, etc etc.
Naming your kids Moon Zappa, Dweezil Zappa, Ahmet Zappa and Diva Zappa was clue number 1. Cant believe its been 28 years since he died. He is buried a mile or so from where I live. I should go pay my respects and also say a big thank you to Rodney Dangerfield too.
He was apparently close to Leonard Nimoy. The rest of the cast of Star Trek, not so much, but he and Nimoy got along well.
That’s who I heard it from, in an interview with Elliot Mintz. But I know he lives alone, and visited him a few times. Someone said, “I live next to a legend who plays jazz music really loud!”
He was friends with some big hitters – Sen. Eugene McCarthy, Justice William O. Douglas, Paul Newman’s best man, Hefner and Sinatra in the early days, John Hart from NBC, Clint Eastwood, Woody Allen, Paul Desmond until he dated Mort’s ex-wife… Someone wrote (I think in his new wonderful biography) that he has the most ex-friends. I just read John Barbour’s huge autobiography, and said Mort was one of the most brilliant men ever, but how he never saw a human lose control after Mort said he’d give Barbour liner notes for his 1965 album, but went apeshit when he found out it would be next to Dick Gregory… He hated hearing Gregory being constantly described as “The Black Mort Sahl” and Barbour said, “I apologized, and as I went to the door, he was breathing so heavily, I thought he was going to have a heart-attack”
Greta Garbo was famous for being a loner, but that was probably exaggerated. Even so, she was very reclusive.
She vanted to be alone 
If we include sports stars, Ty Cobb was supposed to be the poster child for the bitter, friendless old man (although the degree of this has been called into question).
RE: William Shatner–he and Henry Rollins have been friends for a long time. They became buddies after working together on the Has Been album. Shatner talks about forming friendships in this episode of The Henry Rollins Show.
They have been a couple for 28 years but married about 10 years ago. That was a common theme of the reality show they did, she was always bugging Gene to get married.
Thank you for correcting me. I remembered the show but not the specifics.
I’m also guessing that a lot of the friends look at their new “star friend” differently and maybe act differently, which can cause friction. I’m sure there’s leeches, but there’s probably also the opposite, or friends who don’t want to be in certain situations, like having the papparrazzi everywhere.
Just to be a completist:
Lee Majors fits the bill.
Correcting myself.
Diva Muffin Zappa
He’s also bizarrely BFFs with British former soap actor (about forty years his junior) Sean Maguire. I don’t have the impression that he’s lacking friends, just that he’s also not lacking enemies.
I’ve looked after a few well-known (at least locally) people in hospital.
I can think of two well-known politicians. One had an endless stream of visitors, the other had none.
Chevy Chase burned so many personal bridges that they couldn’t even find anyone he knew to roast him on the Comedy Central roast.
The Sun is a real loner. Those Alpha Centauri guys are just passing acquaintances.
He apparently didn’t have many friends after he died either.
The Ice Queen of punk (sorry Siouxsie, it’s not you), Jennifer Miro. Died of cancer at 54 years of age, alone.
I don’t generally get worked up when famous people die, but this one stings me every time I think about it. She was a gift.