Brilliant and outré film and TV director David Lynch has died, aged 78

Film and television director David Lynch has died, aged 78. A post announcing his death was published this morning on social media, but no cause of death was made mention of.
Last August, however, Lynch did reveal that he had been diagnosed with emphysema “from my many years of smoking”.

The social media statement reads: “It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and the artist, David Lynch. We would appreciate some privacy at this time. 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 on the hole.”

David Lynch was renowned for his dark and surreal storylines and production technique, most famously known for his films Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, Dune, Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive, as well as his television series Twin Peaks, which spawned several cinematic and televisual takes.

David Lynch’s trademark directorial style quickly saw his name being lent to the postmodern adjective ‘Lynchian’, which has often been adopted by media students and critics to describe cinema or television of a surrealist, often unnerving, nature. Lynch’s creative style, while often described as dark and twisted, was also tinged with beauty, nonsense, humour and emotion.

In typical “Lynchian” style, David even made light of his latter illness, stating, “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.”

In 2018, Lynch caused a bit of political controversy by praising Donald Trump as “one of the greatest presidents in history”, then taking his words back and suggesting to Trump via social media that, “You are causing suffering and division. Under great loving leadership, no one loses – everybody wins.”

In 2011, the director set up The David Lynch Foundation, to help children to learn and practice transcendental meditation in order to improve health, reduce stress or improve academic outcomes. His TM program was rapidly taken up by many American schools, while the foundation even set up scholarships for students.

David Lynch was married four times and is survived by two daughters and two sons.

Antonino Tati