David Lynch, visionary filmmaker behind ‘Twin Peaks’ and ‘Blue Velvet,’ dies at 78

David Lynch, the groundbreaking director of films and series like “Twin Peaks” and “Blue Velvet,” has died at the age of 78, his family announced Thursday.

“It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and artist David Lynch,” read a statement posted on Lynch’s social media. “We would appreciate some privacy right now. 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 the hole .’ It’s a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the time.”

Lynch, who would have turned 79 on Monday, revealed in August 2024 that he had been diagnosed with emphysema, a chronic lung disease, after years of smoking.

Lynch, born in Montana in 1946, was a writer, director and painter who studied at the American Film Institute. He made his debut on the film scene in 1977 when he turned his thesis project into his first feature film “Eraserhead”, a surreal black and white independent film that quickly gained notoriety as a midnight movie.

“Eraserhead” caught the attention of producer Mel Brooks, who tapped Lynch to direct “The Elephant Man,” an adaptation of the life and times of the severely deformed Joseph Merrick, telling the young director: “You are a mad man. You are hired.”

“The Elephant Man” earned Lynch his first of three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, followed by “Blue Velvet” in 1986 and “Mulholland Drive” in 2001, the latter of which also earned Lynch the Best Director award at the Film Festival. Cannes, where he previously won the festival’s top prize, the Palme d’Or, for 1990’s “Wild at Heart.”

Lynch also directed the ill-fated 1984 film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s science fiction novel “Dune.”

But for many, Lynch’s most famous contribution to pop culture was his collaboration with Mark Frost on the ABC drama series “Twin Peaks,” which immediately captivated viewers with its sui generis combination of mystery and weirdness , prompting legions to tune in each week to find out who. murdered Laura Palmer, played by Sheryl Lee.

The series initially only lasted two seasons in the early ’90s and won three Golden Globes in 1991, including Best Television Series and Best Actor for Kyle MacLachlan. In 2017, the series was revisited and received widespread critical acclaim in the Showtime limited series “Twin Peaks: The Return.”

The style of his films coined the term “Lynchian”, referring to the juxtaposition of “surreal or sinister elements with mundane, everyday environments”.

In 2019, Lynch received an honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards of the Motion Picture Academy, and in 2012, he received honorary degrees from the American Film Institute.