David Lynch dead at 78
David Lynch, the visionary director behind films like “Blue Velvet” and the TV series “Twin Peaks,” has died at age 78, after revealing a battle with emphysema last year.
Director and writer David Lynch, best known for his dark and surrealistic vision with films like “Blue Velvet” and TV series “Twin Peaks,” has died at 78.
His family confirmed his death in a Facebook post, writing, “It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and the artist, David Lynch. We would appreciate some privacy at this time.”
“There’s a big hole in the world now that he’s no longer with us,” the post continued. “But, as he would say, ‘Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole.’”
David Lynch, writer, director, and sometimes actor, has died at 78. (Oleg Nikishin/Epsilon/Getty Images)
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In a statement to Fox News Digital, Steven Spielberg praised the visionary director.
“I loved David’s films. ‘Blue Velvet,’ ‘Mulholland Drive’ and ‘Elephant Man’ defined him as a singular, visionary dreamer who directed films that felt handmade,” he said. “I got to know David when he played John Ford in ‘The Fabelmans.’ Here was one of my heroes—David Lynch playing one of my heroes. It was surreal and seemed like a scene out of one of David’s own movies. The world is going to miss such an original and unique voice. His films have already stood the test of time and they always will.”
Lynch’s “Dune,” “Blue Velvet” and “Twin Peaks” star Kyle MacLachlan shared a heartfelt statement on social media, reflecting on their four-decade friendship.
“Forty-two years ago, for reasons beyond my comprehension, David Lynch plucked me out of obscurity to star in his first and last big budget movie. He clearly saw something in me that even I didn’t recognize. I owe my entire career, and life really, to his vision,” MacLachlan wrote.
Lynch’s friend and frequent collaborator, Kyle MacLachlan, shared a touching tribute to the director on his social media, saying, “I owe my entire career, and life really, to his vision.” (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
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“What I saw in him was an enigmatic and intuitive man with a creative ocean bursting forth inside of him. He was in touch with something the rest of us wish we could get to,” he continued. “Our friendship blossomed on Blue Velvet and then Twin Peaks and I always found him to be the most authentically alive person I’d ever met.
MacLachlan concluded his post, saying, “I will miss him more than the limits of my language can tell and my heart can bear. My world is that much fuller because I knew him and that much emptier now that he’s gone.”
In 2024, Lynch shared that he had been diagnosed with emphysema after a lifelong smoking habit, and couldn’t leave his home, stalling his ongoing career plans.
In an interview with Sight & Sound, the director said, “I’ve gotten emphysema from smoking for so long and so I’m homebound whether I like it or not.”
“I can’t go out,” he continued. “And I can only walk a short distance before I’m out of oxygen.”
“Smoking was something that I absolutely loved but, in the end, it bit me,” he admitted, professing a love for smoking. He added, “[Nothing] like it in this world is so beautiful. Meanwhile, it’s killing me. So I had to quit.”
Lynch revealed last year he was diagnosed with emphysema and was homebound. (Giuseppe Maffia/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Lynch made his first feature film in 1977, the surreal “Eraserhead,” which quickly became a midnight movie favorite and earned him attention from Hollywood.
He was hired by Mel Brooks’ production company to co-write and direct “The Elephant Man,” loosely based on the life of Joseph Merrick, a severely deformed man living in Victorian London. The film starred John Hurt as Merrick and Anthony Hopkins as his doctor.
“The Elephant Man” earned eight Oscar nominations, including best director and best adapted screenplay for Lynch and co-writers Christopher De Vore and Eric Bergren.
Brooks shared a tribute to Lynch on X, writing, “A huge and sad loss. A remarkably unique and very talented filmmaker. It was such a truly great pleasure to work with him. If his name was in the credits, you knew the film was really worth seeing. I will miss him.”
Lynch with Mel Brooks at their AFI Honorary Degree commencement in 2012. Brooks’ hired Lynch to direct the Oscar-nominated “The Elephant Man.” (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
After directing an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi novel, “Dune,” Lynch went on to create one of his most famous films, 1986’s “Blue Velvet.”
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The film, starring Laura Dern, Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper, and Isabella Rossellini, explored a dark underbelly of America, and earned critical acclaim, as well as a second best director Oscar nomination for Lynch.
Reflecting on the film, and it’s controversial subject matter, Rosellini, who was in a relationship with Lynch at the time of production, said, “I’m glad ‘Blue Velvet’ was directed by David Lynch. It’s one of his best films. He’s such a great author. I think my character was the first time we did an abused woman, a portrait of an abused woman, but also she camouflaged herself behind what she was asked to be, which was sexy and beautiful and singing, and she obeys the order, and is also victimized it. That’s the complexity of ‘Blue Velvet’ but also the great talent of David Lynch. I thought he did a fantastic film. I love ‘Blue Velvet.'”
Lynch, with Isabella Rossellini in 1990. (GERARD JULIEN/AFP via Getty Images)
Lynch next moved to television, creating the groundbreaking series “Twin Peaks” in 1990. An unusual choice for a network series, it aired two seasons on ABC and spawned a prequel film, “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me,” as well as a third season on Showtime in 2017.
The first season of “Twin Peaks” earned five Primetime Emmy nominations, including best directing, writing, and drama series.
Later in his career, Lynch continued directing films like “Wild at Heart,” “Lost Highway,” and “Mullholland Drive.”
Lynch’s last feature film was 2006’s “Inland Empire,” starring frequent collaborator Dern and Jeremy Irons.
Lynch has directed films like “Blue Velvet” and “Eraserhead,” noted for their dark tones and surreal tendencies. (Ann Summa/Getty Images)
In a 2018 interview with The Guardian, Lynch addressed his surreal storytelling style, leaving audiences to figure out their exact meaning for themselves.
“I don’t ever explain it. Because it’s not a word thing. It would reduce it, make it smaller,” he told the outlet.
Last year, Lynch was still looking to complete a few projects, including his long in-development screenplay “Antelope Don’t Run No More.”
“We don’t know what the future will bring,” he said of the project in “Sight & Sound.”
The Oscar-nominee was looking forward to future projects despite his health concerns last year. (Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)
He also spoke about an animated film he began working on with “The Nightmare Before Christmas” writer Caroline Thompson, called “Snootworld” with Deadline earlier this year.
“Just recently, I thought someone might be interested in getting behind this, so I presented it to Netflix in the last few months, but they rejected it,” Lynch said. “Old-fashioned fairy tales are considered groaners: apparently, people don’t want to see them. It’s a different world now, and it’s easier to say no than to say yes.”
In addition to his work in film and television, Lynch was also an accomplished painter and musician, releasing several solo and collaborative albums.
