Of course, fame isn’t the only thing that can lead to somebody to a completely private lifestyle; mental illness, poor health, or even just plain anti-social tendencies can all drive people to throwing in the towel and going off the grid. Unfortunately, absence is said to make the heart grow fonder, and a life of obscurity is often only an invitation for even more intrigue and investigation from devoted fans and nosy journalists. Here are 25 famous recluses from throughout history whose interesting lives of isolation have brought them more attention than they’d ever bargained for. Unfortunately, Ida’s mental health declined after the death of her husband and, in 1907, she withdrew all of her savings and moved into a hotel suite with her sister and daughter, where the three lived together for nearly three decades. Although he has resurfaced somewhat in recent years, with his social media presence consisting only of a seldom-used twitter account, Izzy continues to be very media shy and mysterious, keeping many details regarding his personal life, such as his home and marital status, a secret. Although he has since returned to comedy, he still remains highly critical of the entertainment industry and has never recaptured his level of fame from before his disappearance. Generally regarded as one of the most intelligent minds in all of history, the full extent of Tesla’s genius went unrealized by his fellow inventors and investors, as he often failed to fund his projects and ambitions. His later years were plagued with mental illness and he eventually withdrew from the public eye, spending the final years of his life penniless and living out of hotel rooms where he worked on ideas for new inventions that would never receive the necessary funding to become reality.
