David Lynch: Legendary Filmmaker Dies At 78
Legendary filmmaker David Lynch, whose filmography includes The Elephant Man, the original Dune from 1984, Blue Velvet, Lost Highway , Mulholland Drive and Wild at Heart, as well as the Twin Peaks TV series, has died at 78.
A post on his official Facebook page 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.’ It’s a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way.”
Lynch had a distinctly dark and surreal style of filming that has left a mark on generations of filmmakers. If you describe a film or video as “Lynch-ian,” a cinephile will know exactly what you mean. But not every film that he did was dark: his 1999 film The Straight Story was a lovely tale, based on the true story of a man named Alvin Straight. The movie was based on an article in the New York Times. Straight, who was 73 at the time and “too blind to get a driver’s license,” learned that his brother, Lyle, had suffered a stroke. Alvin lived in Iowa, and his brother was in Wisconsin. Alvin wanted to see him so he bought a 1966 John Deere lawn mower, and started driving. We wrote more about this film, which turned 25 a few months ago, here.
In an interview in November of 2024 with PEOPLE, Lynch noted that he started smoking cigarettes at age 8 and that he now required supplemental oxygen to do anything more strenuous than walking across his room. He said that four years earlier, he was diagnosed with emphysema, a chronic lung condition that causes shortness of breath and is a type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Lynch’s last feature film was 2006’s Inland Empire. In the past few decades, he has pursued other interests, including transcendental meditation. He founded the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace in 2005.
