Yahoo Lifestyle David Lynch, Visionary 'Twin Peaks' Director, Dies at 78
David Lynch, the visionary and eccentric director behind Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, and Eraserhead has died. He was 78. Just a few months ago, Lynch revealed on social media that he was suffering from emphysema after years of smoking. He mentioned that he was afraid to leave his home for fear that he might become infected with COVID-19. Still, Lynch made a video from his home almost every day during the pandemic to keep his fans entertained—updating viewers about the daily weather and directly sharing his most intimate thoughts.
Lynch's family posted the news of his passing on Facebook. "There’s a big hole in the world now that he’s no longer with us," the message reads. "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."
Growing up as a painter and an animated short film director, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts student was encouraged to produce a film that would later become 1977's Eraserhead. The surrealist black comedy was misunderstood at the time, though it now lives among independent films such as Pink Flamingos and Night of the Living Dead as a cult favorite among moviegoers.
After Eraserhead, a producer for Mel Brooks contracted Lynch to direct The Elephant Man. The story followed a deformed Victorian gentleman who is tortured by high society in a freak show. The film was both a commercial and critical success, garnering eight nominations at the Academy Awards. He was even asked by George Lucas to direct Return of the Jedi, to which Lynch reportedly responded that he had "zero interest" in pursuing. Instead, he took on the controversial project to adapt Frank Herbert's Dune, which is now enjoying a second revival in theaters thanks to Denis Villeneuve's latest franchise.
Lynch excelled at a brand of horror that no one has replicated without mentioning his name in the same conversation. After Blue Velvet's psychosexual journey transfixed the film industry, the director drove home his signature style with Twin Peaks. Starring Kyle MacLachlan, the supernatural murder mystery cemented Lynch as one of the greatest storytellers of our generation. He followed up Twin Peaks with films such as Mulholland Drive, Lost Highway, Inland Empire, and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.
In one of his final addresses to his fans, Lynch sought to warn others of the dangers of smoking. "I have to say that I enjoyed smoking very much, and I do love tobacco—the smell of it, lighting cigarettes on fire, smoking them—but there is a price to pay for this enjoyment, and the price for me is emphysema," he wrote on X this past August. "I have now quit smoking for over two years. Recently I had many tests and the good news is that I am in excellent shape except for emphysema. I am filled with happiness, and I will never retire. I want you all to know that I really appreciate your concern. Love, David."
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