By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-01-16 18:41:43 | Updated at 2025-01-16 21:53:03
3 hours ago
Four-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker David Lynch has died at age 78.
His family announced the devastating news to social media on Thursday.
In a post, shared on Facebook, his loved ones wrote: '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,' they concluded.
In August, he revealed that he was homebound due to emphysema and admitted that he was unsure if he will ever direct again after being diagnosed with the lung disease that causes breathlessness.
In an interview with Sight & Sound in August, Lynch said that he got the disease 'for smoking so long.'
Four-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker David Lynch has died at age 78; seen in 2019
Lynch said: 'I’m homebound whether I like it or not. I can’t go out. And I can only walk a short distance before I’m out of oxygen.'
The director of Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks got real as he said his love of cigarettes put him in this position.
Lynch said: 'Smoking was something that I absolutely loved, but in the end, it bit me.
'It was part of the art life for me: the tobacco and the smell of it, and lighting things and smoking and going back and sitting back and having a smoke and looking at your work, or thinking about things.
'Nothing like it in this world is so beautiful. Meanwhile, it’s killing me. So I had to quit.'
Though his disease has prevented him from working on projects in person, he is not completely ruling out the possibility of directing in the future.
He said: 'I like to be amongst the things and get ideas there. But I would try to do it remotely, if it comes to it.'
Lynch was referencing his animated project - called Snootworld - which was pitched and ultimately passed on by Netflix.
His most recent major project before his health issues was the revival of his series Twin Peaks for Showtime in 2017.
The original series had ran from 1990 to 1991 as it followed the investigation into the murder of homecoming queen Laura Palmer (played by Sheryl Lee) as it took place in the fictional town of Twin Peaks, Washington.
When it first aired in the early 1990s the series had developed a cult following after its run on ABC which later resulted in the 1992 prequel feature film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk.
Over two decades Lynch's signature franchise made a comeback with Twin Peaks: The Return.
Kyle MacLachlan, Sherilyn Fenn, Mädchen Amick, Lee and David Duchovny - who starred in the original - returned for the revival.
Other stars were also added into the mix including Laura Dern, Amanda Seyfried, Jessica Szohr, Michael Cera, Richard Chamberlain, and Trent Reznor.
Lynch's other signature projects included Eraserhead (1977), The Elephant Man (1980), Blue Velvet (1986), and Mulholland Drive (2001), and Inland Empire (2006).
