R.I.P., David Lynch: Kyle MacLachlan, Steven Spielberg and More Pay Tribute to ‘a Singular, Visionary Dreamer’

Hollywood is mourning the death of visionary filmmaker David Lynch, with friends, fans and frequent collaborators paying tribute to his immense legacy.

Kyle MacLachlan, who played FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper on Lynch’s Twin Peaks and also starred in Lynch films like Blue Velvet and Dune, said on Instagram: “Forty-two years ago, for reasons beyond my comprehension, David Lynch plucked me out of obscurity to star in his first and last big budget movie. He clearly saw something in me that even I didn’t recognize. I owe my entire career, and life really, to his vision.”

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He added: “What I saw in him was an enigmatic and intuitive man with a creative ocean bursting forth inside of him. He was in touch with something the rest of us wish we could get to. Our friendship blossomed on Blue Velvet and then Twin Peaks and I always found him to be the most authentically alive person I’d ever met… I will miss him more than the limits of my language can tell and my heart can bear. My world is that much fuller because I knew him and that much emptier now that he’s gone. David, I remain forever changed, and forever your Kale. Thank you for everything.”

Steven Spielberg, who cast Lynch as legendary Hollywood director John Ford in his 2022 film The Fabelmans, paid tribute to Lynch in a statement: “I loved David’s films. Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive and Elephant Man defined him as a singular, visionary dreamer who directed films that felt handmade. I got to know David when he played John Ford in The Fabelmans. Here was one of my heroes—David Lynch playing one of my heroes. It was surreal and seemed like a scene out of one of David’s own movies. The world is going to miss such an original and unique voice. His films have already stood the test of time and they always will.”

MacLachlan’s Twin Peaks co-star Lara Flynn Boyle, who played Donna Hayward, added in a statement to our sister site Deadline: “There goes the true Willy Wonka of filmmaking. I feel like I got the golden ticket getting a chance to work with him. He will be greatly missed.”

Nicolas Cage, who starred in Lynch’s 1990 film Wild at Heart, tells Deadline that Lynch “was a singular genius in cinema, one of the greatest artists of this or any time. He was brave, brilliant, and a maverick with a joyful sense of humor. I never had more fun on a film set than working with David Lynch. He will always be solid gold.”

Oscar-winning director Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13) called Lynch “a gracious man and fearless artist who followed his heart & soul and proved that radical experimentation could yield unforgettable cinema.”

Director James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) honored Lynch on X, posting a photo from Lynch’s Blue Velvet and adding, “You inspired so many of us.”

Comedian Patton Oswalt, meanwhile, commemorated Lynch’s life with an appropriately surreal statement:

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