Today, the official Facebook page for David Lynch announced the filmmaker and artists’ passing at the age of 78, four days short of his 79th birthday. “It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and the artist, David Lynch,” the post reads. “ 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.”
After shifting his focus from painting to experimental filmmaking in the late-’60s, Lynch rose to fame a decade later when his long-in-development passion project Eraserhead became a hit on the midnight movie circuit. After being discovered by Mel Brooks, Lynch went on to direct The Elephant Man and Dune in the early ’80s, before the latter project inspired him to shift his focus toward smaller-scale independent projects beginning with Blue Velvet. From there, he rolled out mainstream successes like Twin Peaks and less-immediate hits such as Lost Highway. His last great accomplishment was his 2017 reboot of Twin Peaks, which in many ways felt like an autobiographical statement that provided a bit of closure on his notoriously open-ended film career.
Beyond his work in film, Lynch remained interested in everything from painting and woodworking to music and becoming a YouTube personality later in his career, championing a diverse set of causes along the way from Transcendental Meditation to Photoshop (“Whoever the people are that designed and made Photoshop, I am forever thankful to them,” he told us in our recent print cover story, which focused much more on the influence of TM on his life). After working with Angelo Badalamenti on the score for Blue Velvet, the two became inseparable collaborators, often inviting vocalist Julee Cruise into their writing projects. In later years, Lynch began releasing solo material through Sacred Bones in addition to teaming up with the Chrystabell on a series of releases, including last year’s Cellophane Memories.
Lynch’s cause of death wasn’t reported, but the news does follow his recent announcement to quit smoking after revealing an emphysema diagnosis. Revisit our cover story with him here, and find his family’s message on Facebook below.
