Filmmaker David Lynch has died at the age of 78. The Twin Peaks director’s passing has left a ‘huge hole in the world’, his devastated family have said.
His tragic death was announced on his official Facebook page today (Thursday, January 16). The post read: “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.’”
Lynch’s cause ofdeath has not yet been shared but he had revealed he was battling emphysema in 2024 and ‘could no longer leave home’. The chronic lung disease followed ‘many years of smoking’, the Mirror reports.
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However, Lynch still insisted he was in ‘excellent shape’ and would ‘never retire’. Speaking to Sight & Sound Magazine, via the Independent, Lynch said: “I’ve gotten emphysema from smoking for so long and so I’m homebound whether I like it or not. It would be very bad for me to get sick, even with a cold.”
Lynch, who was born in Montana in 1946, was also known for Lost Highway and Mullholland Drive. His last work was his 2017 revival series Twin Peaks: The Return, which reunited him with original series stars such as Kyle MacLachlan, Sheryl Lee, Dana Ashbrook, Madchen Amick, and James Marshall.
Tributes have poured in for the star following his sad death. Steven Spielberg, who cast Lynch as John Ford in his autobiographical film The Fabelmans, has remembered the director as one of his heroes.
In a statement to Variety, Spielberg said: “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.
“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.”