David Lynch, 78 years old, died Thursday. He was the pioneering director of “Twin Peaks”, “Blue Velvet” and other films and TV shows.
It is with great sadness that his family announces the death of David Lynch, the artist and man. The statement was posted on Lynch’s social media. We would appreciate some privacy during this time. Now that he is no longer here, the world has a huge hole. As he used to say, “Keep your eyes on the donut, not the hole.” It’s an absolutely beautiful day, with golden sun and blue skies.
Lynch, who turned 79 years old on Monday, revealed that in 2024 he had been diagnosed with emphysema (a chronic lung condition) after smoking for many years.
Lynch was born in Montana, in 1946. He was a writer and director who studied at the American Film Institute. In 1977, he made his debut in the film industry when he turned “Eraserhead” into his first film. It was a black-and-white surrealist independent film that gained popularity as a midnight film.
“Eraserhead” attracted the attention of producer Mel Brooks, who brought Lynch aboard to direct “The Elephant Man,” an adaptation of the life and times of the severely deformed Joseph Merrick, telling the younger director, “You’re a crazy man. You’re hired.”
The Elephant Man earned Lynch the first of his three Academy Award nominations as best director. This was followed by “Blue Velvet”, in 1986, and “Mulholland Drive”, in 2001. The latter earned Lynch the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival. He had previously won the festival’s highest prize, the Palme d’Or, for 1990’s Wild at Heart.
Lynch also directed the ill-fated 1984 movie adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi novel “Dune.”
The most popular Lynch contribution to pop culture is his collaboration with Mark Frost, on ABC’s “Twin Peaks.” This primetime drama hooked viewers with its unique combination of mystery, quirk, and humor, causing legions to tune into the show every week to discover who killed Laura Palmer (played by Sheryl Lee).
In the early 1990s, the show lasted just two seasons. Kyle MacLachlan won three Golden Globes for Best TV Series in 1991. The show was revisited in 2017 to wide critical acclaim as part of the Showtime limited-series “Twin Peaks: The Return.”
His films have been dubbed “Lynchian” for the way they juxtapose “surreal, sinister elements and mundane, everyday settings.”
In 2019, Lynch was awarded an honorary Academy Award during the Motion Picture Academy Governors Awards. He also received an honorary degree in 2012 from the American Film Institute.
