David Lynch, Iconic Director Of ‘Twin Peaks’ & ‘Mulholland Drive,’ Dies At 78 After Battle With Emphysema

David Lynch, the filmmaker behind the iconic Twin Peaks and Eraserhead, among many others, died at 78 on Jan. 15, just days before his 79th birthday on Monday.

Lynch’s family posted an announcement on Lynch’s Facebook page on Thursday, alongside a photo of him with a guitar. The statement read, “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.”

The post concluded, “It’s a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way.”

In August, Lynch disclosed that he had been diagnosed with emphysema – a chronic lung disease – as the result of years of smoking. He gave up smoking after 68 years but required oxygen to walk.

Born in Montana on January 20, 1946, Lynch studied at the American Film Institute, where he turned his thesis into his first feature film, the horror/fantasy Eraserhead, in 1977.

Following Eraserhead, producer Mel Brooks approached Lynch to direct The Elephant Man, which earned Lynch his first of three Academy Award nominations for best director. After The Elephant Man, he adapted Frank Herbert’s sci-fi novel Dune for the screen in 1984.

Other successful works of Lynch include Blue Velvet (1986) and Mulholland Drive (2001), but his most widely-beloved feature was ABC’s drama Twin Peaks. The two-season mystery/thriller/soap opera earned three Golden Globe honors in 1991, and in 2017, it was revisited in a Showtime limited series called Twin Peaks: The Return. In 2020, Lynch received an honorary Oscar for a lifetime achievement at the Governors Awards. 

He was also a painter and photographer. In March 2015, an exhibit of his paintings, Between Two Worlds, opened in Australia.

The specific aesthetic of Lynch’s work brought about the term “Lynchian,” used to describe the juxtaposition of surreal or unsettling qualities in everyday environments, with a particular emphasis on a dream-like element of mystery.

Lynch is survived by four children.

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