Friends? plural......probably required when one is young but friend (singular) is all that is necessary when one gets older and that friend could well be one's spouse.
It’s alright saying your friend is your spouse but that means, when they die, you are friendless. This could lead to isolation and acute loneliness. My friends are very important to me, especially as I have almost no family.
Good point by margaretom.
However in my experience women need friends more than men and a women's friendship is quite different from a man's, women tend to have a more social friendship whereas men's tend tobe more sincere.