David Lynch, the director behind Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive, and other unsettling works, has died, his family confirmed in a post on his official Facebook page. He was 78 years old.
The post announcing his passing didn’t list a cause of death. But last August, Lynch revealed that he had been diagnosed with emphysema “from my many years of smoking.” At the time, he told Sight and Sound that he could no longer “go out” over concerns that he could catch covid, and that he likely would not be able to direct again in person. In a post about his diagnosis, he said that “recently I had many tests and the good news is that I am in excellent shape except for emphysema. I am filled with happiness, and I will never retire.”
The post, of course, had a very Lynchian addition: “I enjoyed smoking very much, and I do love tobacco — the smell of it, lighting cigarettes on fire, smoking them — but there is a price to pay for this enjoyment, and the price for me is emphysema.”
Here is the full statement from Lynch’s family announcing his death:
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. 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’s work is horrific, gorgeous, nonsensical, funny, and emotional — often all at once. His hit TV show, Twin Peaks, kept a cult following over the course of decades, from its debut in 1990 all the way to Twin Peaks: The Return, which returned in 2017.
Despite the darkness that lurked beneath many of Lynch’s works, his offbeat humor and personality endeared him to many — especially during the covid lockdown, when he uploaded daily “weather reports” to YouTube. For many people, it was a bright spot during a tough time: an icon of film sitting at his desk in an office that kind of looks like a concrete bunker, peering up at the sky to let you know what it’s like outside. Thank you for the update, David Lynch.
Variety has an extensive obituary about Lynch’s life and work.