David Lynch, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker who was known for surreal works such as “Twin Peaks,” “The Elephant Man” and “Mulholland Drive,” has died.
Lynch’s family announced his death Thursday on Facebook. The director, an artist who channeled his talent in a number of mediums including film, television, music and art, was 78.
“It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and the artist, David Lynch,” the post said. “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.’”
The post added: “It’s a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way.” It did not say where Lynch died.
In 2024, Lynch revealed that he had been diagnosed with emphysema, a condition that causes shortness of breath, “from smoking so long” during his life. He said in an interview with Sight and Sound that his health had limited his ability to direct.
“I would do it remotely if it comes to it,” he said. “I wouldn’t like that so much.”
Lynch’s directing career included cult classics “The Elephant Man,” “Blue Velvet,” “Inland Empire,” a divisive adaptation of Frank Herbert’s “Dune” and “Wild At Heart,” among others.
His films were often filled with recurrent characters and motifs, and blended film noir darkness, suspense and ensemble casts of quirky characters. An influential filmmaker, Lynch most often drew his own inspiration from European filmmakers such as Jean-Luc Godard and Federico Fellini. He frequently worked with the same actors — Kyle MacLachlan, Jack Nance, Laura Dern and Harry Dean Stanton among them. Most often, his films unfurled as Angelo Badalamenti’s haunting musical compositions swelled.
Lynch’s films often explored “the mystery and madness hidden in the normal,” as film critic Pauline Kael put it. The severed ear in “Blue Velvet.” Laura’s Palmer’s lifeless body wrapped in plastic on television’s “Twin Peaks.” The lone survivor of a car crash on Mulholland Drive, injured and wandering into Los Angeles. All were jarring openings that guided filmgoers into the strange netherworlds tucked away in otherwise normal big cities and small towns.
Born on Jan. 20, 1946, in Missoula, Mont., Lynch grew up in several states. The son of an English-language tutor and a research scientist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the filmmaker and his family were often on the move, living in Washington, Idaho, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
After graduating high school, Lynch studied at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. He then attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, where he created his first film, the 1967 animated short “Six Men Getting Sick.”
In 1977, Lynch directed his first feature film, the cult favorite “Eraserhead,” while attending the American Film Institute. He quickly gained the attention of such filmmakers as Stanley Kubrick and John Waters. George Lucas even courted Lynch to direct a “Star Wars” film, but Lynch turned down the offer.
Lynch kept busy in the ’80s with “The Elephant Man” in 1980, his controversial and critically panned take on Frank Herbert’s “Dune” in 1984 and 1986’s “Blue Velvet,” starring Isabella Rossellini, Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper and Laura Dern. He was nominated for an Oscar for adapted screenplay and best director for “Elephant Man,” and again for directing “Blue Velvet.”
“This film is a trip into darkness and back out again,” he told The Times of “Blue Velvet.” “There are things lurking in the world and within us that we have to deal with. You can evade them for a while, for a long time maybe, but if you face them and name them, they start losing their power. Once you name the enemy, you can deal with it a lot better.”
In 1989, Lynch reunited with MacLachlan for ABC’s iconic “Twin Peaks,” which he co-created with Mark Frost. MacLachlan starred as coffee enthusiast and FBI special agent Dale Cooper. From Lynch’s atmospheric and eerie depiction of Washington state came some of pop culture’s most recognizable moments — including Michael J. Anderson‘s dance in the red chevron-floored room.
The original “Twin Peaks” series ran for two seasons before ending in June 1991. Just months before the show’s cancellation, Lynch deadpanned about keeping the show alive during an interview with David Letterman.
“If it has to end, that’s all right. But if it doesn’t have to end, that’s even better,” he said. “And I’m asking people to write to Bob Iger, the president of ABC.”
Lynch revisited his “Twin Peaks” empire with the 1992 film “Fire Walk With Me” and Showtime’s “Twin Peaks: The Return” in 2017.
From “Twin Peaks” also stemmed his longtime partnerships with late musicians Badalamenti and Julee Cruise, who both died in 2022.
Some of Lynch’s turn-of-the-century works included the films “Lost Highway,” “The Straight Story” and “Mulholland Drive.”
“Mulholland,” which starred Laura Harring and Naomi Watts, earned Lynch the best director award at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival and an Oscar nomination for directing in 2002.
His final film was “Inland Empire,” a surrealistic 2006 thriller that was filmed as it was being written.
Later in life, Lynch brought his talents to other mediums, directing music videos, pursuing musical projects or exhibiting abstract art.
Among his various side projects was the series of “Weather Reports,” which he started in the mid-2000s and revisited on YouTube during the years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Predictably quirky, Lynch would stare at the camera, give the date, the temperature — in both Fahrenheit and Celsius — and then a general description of the weather. “It’s cloudy and there’s quite a breeze. Have a good day.”
“There’s a connection between music, film, painting, writing, everything,” Lynch told The Times in 1999. “I guess the more [things] you’re into, the more they’re going to help each other.”
David Lynch, second from right, with fellow honorees Geena Davis, Lina Wertmüller and Wes Studi at the 2019 Governors Awards.
(Getty Images)
The director was also a vocal supporter of transcendental meditation. In 2005, he founded the David Lynch Foundation, which seeks to promote transcendental meditation among “at-risk populations” to “improve their health, cognitive capabilities and performance in life.”
Lynch was married several times. He and artist Peggy Reavey married in 1968 and divorced in 1974. Three years later, he married Mary Fisk, and that marriage lasted 10 years. In 2006, Lynch and filmmaker Mary Sweeney wed and divorced. Lynch married actor Emily Stofle in 2009. He had three children, Jennifer, Austin and Riley.
In 2019, Lynch received an honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards. He accepted the honor from “Blue Velvet” stars Dern and MacLachlan with a speech in true Lynchian fashion.
“To the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, thank you for this honor, and to all the people who helped me along the road. Congratulations to all the other honorees tonight. And everyone, have a great night.” he said, before looking at his Oscar. “You have a very interesting face. Goodnight!”
Lynch is survived by his wife and his three children. Representatives for the David Lynch Foundation did not immediately respond Thursday to The Times’ requests for comment.
