Acclaimed filmmaker David Lynch, known for surrealist works like Mulholland Drive and Twin Peaks, has died at 78. His family announced his passing on his official Facebook page, saying, “There’s a big hole in the world now that he’s no longer with us.”
Lynch had revealed in August 2024 that he was battling emphysema, a condition he attributed to years of smoking. Despite his diagnosis, he stated he would “never retire.”
A three-time Oscar nominee for Blue Velvet, The Elephant Man, and Mulholland Drive, Lynch won the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 1990 for Wild at Heart. His last major work, Twin Peaks: The Return, aired in 2017.
Tributes poured in from Hollywood figures, including Steven Spielberg, who called him a “singular, visionary dreamer,” and Ron Howard, who praised his fearless creativity. Actor Nicolas Cage credited Lynch as one of his inspirations to enter filmmaking.
Lynch, who began his career as a painter before turning to film, received an honorary Academy Award in 2020 for his contributions to cinema.
