Diva Muffin Zappa is an American artist, also known for several acting roles in film and television, as well as recording a one-off comedy single. She is the youngest child of Gail Zappa and musician Frank Zappa.
Personal life
Diva Zappa was born in Los Angeles, the daughter of Frank and Gail Zappa. She has three older siblings: Moon Unit, Dweezil, and Ahmet. According to her father Frank, she was given the name Diva "because of the loud quality of her voice. She's audible at 300 yards." Diva Zappa won an award at age 12 in a poster contest to raise awareness about child abuse and neglect. Following the death of Zappa's mother in October 2015, Diva and her brother Ahmet were awarded control of the Zappa Family Trust with shares of 30% each, while her siblings Moon and Dweezil were given smaller shares of 20% each. As beneficiaries only, Moon and Dweezil will not receive funds from the trust until it is profitable; in 2016, it was still in debt and they must seek permission from Ahmet, the trustee, to earn money with their father's music or from merchandise bearing his name. The uneven divide of the trust has resulted in several conflicts between Zappa's children, including a feud between Dweezil and Ahmet over Dweezil's use of his father's music in live performances. In a 2016 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Diva Zappa said her primary role in the trust is to be present when her father's work is highlighted.
Career
Diva Zappa's first film appearance was in the 1998 filmAnarchy TV, along with her older siblings. Since then, she has also appeared in , National Lampoon's Pledge This!, as well as various TV shows including Felicity, Brothers & Sisters, and The Mighty Boosh. In 1999, Diva Zappa released a comedy single called "When the Ball Drops" about her "hunt for someone to make out with on the Millennium". Tipper Gore played drums on the recording and Kristin Gore sang backup vocals. Since 2002, Diva Zappa has run her own website/business called "Hand Made Beauty" where she sells her own self-designed and made clothing. The clothing is primarily knitted or crocheted, and consists of hats, ponchos and skirts. A percentage of all sales are donated to the Creative Visions Foundation. She was initially taught how to knit by actress Laurie Metcalf. She does not plan her work, preferring instead to work in a spontaneous manner. In 2011, Zappa had her first UK show of "contemporary knitwear art and couture canvases" with an exhibition titled "Bruce" at the Maison Bertaux Gallery in Soho. The exhibition featured an embroidered photograph of her brother Dweezil playing guitar. A full-length dress she knitted was worn to the 2009 Grammy Awards by Chloé Trujillo, the wife of Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo. She also made a cape for Diablo Cody. On October 29, 2013, she appeared in the UK premiere of her late father's orchestral work 200 Motels at the Royal Festival Hall, London, playing the role of Groupie 2. She can be seen in season two of the Netflix show Good Girls as a midwife.
