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Visionary filmmaker David Lynch dead at 78

Lynch known for eccentric projects like 91ƵTwin Peaks91Ƶ and 91ƵMulholland Drive
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FILE - David Lynch appears at the Governors Awards in Los Angeles on Oct. 27, 2019. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

David Lynch, the filmmaker celebrated for his uniquely dark and dreamlike vision in such movies as 91ƵBlue Velvet91Ƶ and 91ƵMulholland Drive91Ƶ and the TV series 91ƵTwin Peaks,91Ƶ has died just days before his 79th birthday.

His family announced the death in a Facebook post on Thursday. The cause of death and location was not immediately available, but Lynch had been public about his emphysema.

91ƵWe would appreciate some privacy at this time. There91Ƶs a big hole in the world now that he91Ƶs no longer with us. But, as he would say, 91ƵKeep your eye on the donut and not on the hole,91Ƶ91Ƶ the post read. 91ƵIt91Ƶs a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way.91Ƶ

Last summer, Lynch had revealed to Sight and Sound that he was diagnosed with emphysema and would not be leaving his home because of fears of contracting the coronavirus or 91Ƶeven a cold.91Ƶ

91ƵI91Ƶve gotten emphysema from smoking for so long and so I91Ƶm homebound whether I like it or not,91Ƶ Lynch said, adding he didn91Ƶt expect to make another film.

91ƵI would try to do it remotely, if it comes to it,91Ƶ Lynch said. 91ƵI wouldn91Ƶt like that so much.91Ƶ

Lynch was a onetime painter who broke through in the 1970s with the surreal 91ƵEraserhead91Ƶ and rarely failed to startle and inspire audiences, peers and critics in the following decades. His notable releases ranged from the neo-noir 91ƵMulholland Drive91Ƶ to the skewed Gothic of 91ƵBlue Velvet91Ƶ to the eclectic and eccentric 91ƵTwin Peaks,91Ƶ which won three Golden Globes, two Emmys and even a Grammy for its theme music.

91Ƶ91ƵBlue Velvet,91Ƶ 91ƵMulholland Drive91Ƶ and 91ƵElephant Man91Ƶ defined him as a singular, visionary dreamer who directed films that felt handmade,91Ƶ Steven Spielberg said in a statement. Spielberg noted that he had cast Lynch as director John Ford in the 2022 film 91ƵThe Fabelmans.91Ƶ

91ƵHere was one of my heroes (Ford) 91Ƶ David Lynch playing one of my heroes. It was surreal and seemed like a scene out of one of David91Ƶs own movies,91Ƶ Spielberg said. 91ƵThe world is going to miss such an original and unique voice.91Ƶ

Lynch never won a competitive Academy Award. He received nominations for directing 91ƵThe Elephant Man,91Ƶ 91ƵBlue Velvet91Ƶ and 91ƵMulholland Drive91Ƶ and, in 2019, was presented an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement.

91ƵTo the Academy and everyone who helped me along the way, thanks,91Ƶ he said at the time, in characteristically off-beat remarks. 91ƵYou have a very nice face. Good night.91Ƶ

His other credits included the crime story 91ƵWild at Heart,91Ƶ winner of the Palme d91ƵOr at the Cannes Film Festival; the biographical drama 91ƵThe Elephant Man91Ƶ and the G-rated, aptly straightforward 91ƵThe Straight Story.91Ƶ Actors regularly appearing in his movies included Kyle McLachlan, Laura Dern, Naomi Watts and Richard Farnsworth.

Lynch was a Missoula, Montana, native who moved around often with his family as a child and would long feel most at home away from the classroom, free to explore his fascination with the world. He had an early gift for visual arts and a passion for travel and discovery that led to his enrollment in the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the beginning of a decade-long apprenticeship as a maker of short movies.

91ƵDavid91Ƶs always had a cheerful disposition and sunny personality, but he91Ƶs always been attracted to dark things,91Ƶ a childhood friend is quoted as saying in 91ƵRoom to Dream,91Ƶ a 2018 book by Lynch and Kristine McKenna. That91Ƶs one of the mysteries of David.91Ƶ





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