No matter that Fred Hughes and I would not have gotten along. He was a social climbing dandy snob of the highest order, which means I might have, in theory, adored him from afar but I would have scoffed at the fact that he wouldn't want to be seen in my unwealthy, unfamous presence ever. His brother once said he “truly adored women, especially rich ones!” – and rich ones he found.
He was at the apex of the fabulous Studio 54 scene and he was Warhol's business partner even as their relationship fizzled in an appropriately high drama public drunken attack. When he sat on his final death bed Julian Schnabel was at his side reading him short stories and The Diving Bell and The Butterfly (which as we all know turned into a highly acclaimed Schnabel film recently).
But it's not all the famous people's adoration that makes me put him on this list, it's the plain old good style that impresses me. His apartment's contents were recently sold at Sotheby's and just look at the photo! He may have been a snob, but he had the kind of taste that excuses nearly anything. This site has tons of brilliant quotes about him from Fran Lebowitz, Rupert Everett, Bob Colacello, and more suitably stupendously famous people.
But what do you think?