Tributes paid after death of film icon, “the man and the artist”, David Lynch, age 78
David Lynch, the legendary filmmaker known for the likes of Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive and the TV series Twin Peaks, has died at the age of 78.
The news was confirmed by his family in a Facebook post.
“It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and the artist, David Lynch,” the post read. “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 revealed his emphysema diagnosis last year, which was caused by smoking for most of his life. In November, he revealed he required supplemental oxygen to walk.
Despite this, he said he would “never retire”, and would direct remotely and work on other projects if it was necessary.
Figures from across the entertainment world have been paying tributes to the director.
Rob Sheridan wrote: “So sad to hear of David Lynch’s passing. At age 10, Twin Peaks messed me up in all the best ways. I’ll be forever grateful that I had the opportunity to meet David at his home in 2013 and document him filming Trent Reznor for NIN’s “Came Back Haunted” video. He was funny and kind. RIP to a legend.”
Questlove, meanwhile, nodded to Lynch’s noted endorsement of transcendental meditation. “Lynch was the first human/creative that stressed the importance of not overworking and taking time out to breathe & meditate and searching for creative avenues not in my comfort zone (he was my guiding creative light for the Somethingtofoodabout book from 2016,” he wrote. “Took a liking to me always inviting me to his events and parties and really stressing the importance of self care.”
“Farewell David Lynch – a true maverick and genius who brought so much to cinema and beyond. It was an honour and a privilege to work for The David Lynch Foundation, in the UK & US,” said Tim Burgess. “We didn’t meet in real life but the couple of Skype link ups we had were inspirational. Travel well.”
Interpol also paid tribute on their Instagram story. “We grieve the loss of the legend David Lynch. He was a major influence and inspiration for our band and for each of us individually. Thank you for the brilliance you shared, David. RIP.”
Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan chimed in too. “Truly saddened to hear of the passing of David Lynch,” he wrote on Instagram. “Working with him was like a dream out of one of his movies, and I treasure the times I got to speak with him and hear first-hand his vision for a film. I truly encourage anyone who loves movies and television to watch all that David produced. He was a true artist, through and through.”
(@paddy_considine)Lynch came from an artist background, focusing on painting before he entered the film world. Beginning his career making short animated and live action films, Lynch first made a name for himself with his 1977 feature debut Eraserhead, which quickly became a fixture of the midnight movie circuit. Later, he was hired by Mel Brooks’ production company to write 1980’s The Elephant Man, which was nominated for eight Oscars including his first nod for Best Director.
His 1984 adaptation of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi epic Dune was considerably less successful, prompting him to abandon plans for a trilogy. A half-written script for the second film was found last year. In a statement through his assistant, Lynch said that he “sort of remembers writing something but doesn’t recall ever finishing it” but was reluctant to talk about it further since he viewed the project as a “failure in his eyes”.
Lynch bounced back with two of the defining motion pictures of his career – 1986’s Blue Velvet and 1990’s Wild At Heart. The latter won the Cannes Film Festival’s coveted Palme d’Or.
Lynch’s filmmaking was characterised by a taste for surrealist imagery, dreamlike atmospheres and a fascination with Hollywood mythology. Notably, his work also sharply critiqued the dark side of smalltown America.
In 1990, Lynch turned his hand to TV with Twin Peaks, which he created with writer Mark Frost. The show’s first season was especially successful, despite the second failing to match its success. It later spawned the 1992 feature-length prequel Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. Nonetheless, it remained beloved and a limited third season aired 25 years later after its debut, picking up where the second season left off.
It was confirmed today (January 16) that the classic box set Z To A is being re-released this year.
Later in his career, through films including Lost Highway (1997), Mulholland Drive (winning him the best director award at Cannes in 2001) and Inland Empire (2006), Lynch’s focus turned to plots involving doubled personalities, unexplained transformations and shocking acts of violence.
Lynch was nominated for four Oscars throughout his career and received an honorary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in 2020. More recently, he made a cameo appearance in Steven Spielberg‘s semi-autobiographical 2023 film The Fabelmans, playing famous film director John Ford (The Informer, Stagecoach).
Away from cinema, Lynch also had a music career, particularly in his later years. He released the album ‘Cellophane Memories’ with Chrystabell in August, the third album they had created together. They also worked together on Twin Peaks: The Return, in which the latter took on the role of Agent Tammy Preston.
Prior to that, he released an album with Jocelyn Montgomery, ‘Lux Vivens’, in 1998 and ‘BlueBob’ with John Neff, in 2001. Lynch also had two solo albums to his name, 2011’s ‘Crazy Clown Time’ and ‘The Big Dream’ in 2013.
Chrystabell also paid tribute to Lynch. “I join you in the depths of this grief, in love and in reverence and celebration of someone who is singular and irreplaceable,” she wrote as part of her tribute on Instagram, which you can see in full below.
He also directed several music videos, notably Chris Isaak’s ‘Wicked Game’. His other music video credits include Moby‘s ‘Shot In The Back Of The Head’, Nine Inch Nails‘ ‘Came Back Haunted’ and Donovan’s ‘I Am The Shaman’.
Lynch had recently expressed concerns about the state of cinema. Speaking to Cahiers du Cinema, Lynch said a number of factors have caused cinema to struggle – including the coronavirus pandemic, changes in the way people access films now (via streaming, for example) and the increase in the number of television series.
“Feature films are in a bad place, series have taken their place…You could sit down and actually have the experience of stepping into a whole new world. Now that’s all in the damn history books. It’s distressing,” he said (via The Guardian).
He also established the David Lynch Foundation to fund the teaching of transcendental meditation in schools and later to at-risk groups such as the homeless, military veterans, war refugees and prison inmates.
This is a breaking news story.
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Emma Wilkes
NME
