The trailblazing creative had been suffering from emphysema
David Lynch, the trailblazing filmmaker and artist who made the familiar strange and the unfamiliar terrifying, has died at the age of 78.
“It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and the artist, David Lynch,” according to a statement released Thursday on Facebook. “We would appreciate some privacy at this time. 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,” the statement concluded, referencing his cherished weather reports.
Since 2020, Lynch had been suffering from emphysema, which had left him confined to his house and relying on supplemental oxygen. According to Deadline, he was recently forced to relocate from his Los Angeles-area house due to the Sunset Fire and “then took a turn for the worse.”
Beginning in 1977 with his first movie, Eraserhead, Lynch stood out as a creator with a unique point of view on the world, creating profound and at times disturbing images meshed with unforgettable characters and narratives. After working independently to make Eraserhead, Lynch was taken under the wing of producer Mel Brooks to make his follow-up, The Elephant Man, which received eight Oscar nominations, including Lynch’s first for Best Director. He would eventually be nominated three times for the honor, and received an honorary Oscar in 2019.
Lynch next embarked upon adapting Frank Herbert’s Dune to the screen, a multi-year odyssey that became Lynch’s first major professional disappointment. Afterwards, however, he made what many consider to be his definitive film: Blue Velvet, which not only reunited him with Dune star Kyle MacLachlan — a lifelong collaborator — but highlighted his talent for surreal imagery and symbolism.
Following Blue Velvet, Lynch made the film Wild at Heart while also exploring a totally new medium: Television. The result was Twin Peaks, which he co-created with writer Mark Frost, and in doing so totally exploded the world’s conceptions of what you could do on the small screen. While the series only ran for two seasons on ABC, its impact was undeniable. One of the most significant events in 21st-century television was Showtime’s decision to bring the show back in 2017 for Twin Peaks: The Return, an 18-episode conclusion to the story. Lynch directed every episode himself, and The Return would ultimately be his swan song as a filmmaker.
Between Twin Peaks and The Return, Lynch directed films including the mind-bending Lost Highway, the artfully charming (and G-rated) The Straight Story, and the experimental Inland Empire, which reunited him with Laura Dern. Perhaps one of his most acclaimed films of all time, Mulholland Drive, did not begin originally as a movie. Instead, Lynch originally developed the idea as a TV pilot for ABC, and after the show didn’t go forward, he shot new material to turn it into the delirious descent into dreamland it became.
Beyond his work as a filmmaker, Lynch was a prolific artist across multiple mediums, including painting, design, and music, a world in which he was active for over 40 years. He worked closely with sound designer Alan Splet on his early films and collaborated significantly with Angelo Badalamenti, who composed the now-iconic scores of Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, and Mulholland Drive.
Additionally, Lynch released his experimental debut album, BlueBob, in 2001 with producer and engineer John Neff, and offered a follow-up 10 years later with the similarly blues-themed Crazy Clown Time. His final solo album arrived in 2013; from then, Lynch continued his streak of musical collaborations, notably releasing two records with the synth-pop singer and songwriter Chrystabell: 2016’s Somewhere in the Nowhere and 2024’s Cellophane Memories.
Meanwhile, Lynch continued his involvement behind the scenes in the music sphere: He released collaborations with Badalamenti, Julee Cruise, Jocelyn Montgomery, Karen O, Flying Lotus, and Donovan, he directed a teaser for Michael Jackson’s 1991 album Dangerous, he launched his own record label in 2008, and in 2009, he organized a star-studded benefit concert at Radio City Music Hall featuring Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Sheryl Crow, Eddie Vedder, and more.
He also wrote the book Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity, which explored his passion for Transcendental Meditation — a practice which had a massive impact on his work.
Even after being diagnosed with emphysema in 2020, Lynch continued to work on new music. Across too many projects to mention, what unified them all was his fervent dedication to creativity, as he explored the great unknowns of the world, as well as our own consciousnesses.
Lynch is survived by his four children, and his unforgettable work.