David Lynch, the iconic American filmmaker known for surrealist classics like Mulholland Drive and Twin Peaks, has passed away at the age of 78.
His family announced the news on his official Facebook page, writing, "There's a big hole in the world now that he's no longer with us. But, as he would say, 'Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole.' … It's a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way."
Lynch revealed in August last year that he had been battling emphysema, a chronic lung disease, after "many years of smoking."
Widely regarded as a maverick filmmaker, Lynch earned three Academy Award nominations for Best Director during his career for Blue Velvet, The Elephant Man, and Mulholland Drive. His last major project, Twin Peaks: The Return, aired in 2017, continuing the story of the groundbreaking 1990s TV series.
In 1990, Lynch won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival for Wild at Heart. Nicolas Cage, the film's star, credited Lynch with inspiring his love for cinema. "I used to see his movie Eraserhead in Santa Monica," Cage told the BBC. "He's one of the main reasons I got into filmmaking. He was one of a kind. He can't be replaced."
Steven Spielberg called Lynch "a singular, visionary dreamer who directed films that felt handmade," adding, "The world is going to miss such an original and unique voice." Fellow filmmaker Ron Howard paid tribute on social media, describing Lynch as "a gracious man and fearless artist who proved that radical experimentation could yield unforgettable cinema." Musician Moby, for whom Lynch directed the video for Shot In The Back Of The Head, said he was "just heartbroken."
Lynch’s films often featured surreal, dreamlike qualities. His debut feature, Eraserhead (1977), shocked audiences with its dark and disturbing imagery. Despite its polarizing reception, the film established his reputation as a bold and unconventional storyteller.
In a 2024 interview with BBC Radio Three's Sound of Cinema, Lynch reflected on his collaboration with late composer Angelo Badalamenti, who crafted the haunting soundscapes central to Lynch's films. "And then I say, 'No, that's still too fast, it’s not dark enough, it’s not heavy and foreboding enough,'" he recounted.
Lynch’s contributions to cinema were recognized with an honorary Academy Award in 2020. Despite his illness, he insisted last year that he was in "excellent shape" and had no plans to retire, calling his emphysema diagnosis "the price to pay" for his smoking habit. However, his health declined rapidly, and by November, he required oxygen to walk.
Born in Missoula, Montana, Lynch initially pursued a career in painting before transitioning to filmmaking in the 1960s. Over his lifetime, he left an indelible mark on the world of cinema with his unparalleled ability to blend the surreal with the emotional.
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