David Lynch is dead: the director of Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive was 78 years old

“I will never retire,” said the great American filmmaker last August. His family just announced his death on Facebook.

Eraserhead, Twin Peaks, Elephant Man, Dune, Blue Velvet, Sailor and Lula, Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive… The list of films and series directed by David Lynch is not that long, but its impact on cinema is immense. We talk about films, books, comics, paintings, music “à la David Lynch”. He had created a dark and joyful mythology, full of ghosts and enigmas, digging black holes in American cinema. We will still talk about it long after his death, which was just announced this Thursday, January 16, 2025 on Facebook by his family. The artist was 78 years old. Last August, after learning that he suffered from emphysema (a lung disease that can be caused by smoking), he made it clear: “I will never retire”he said to Sight & Sound. Of which act.

“It is with deep regret that we, the members of his family, announce the passing of David Lynch, the man and the artist”indicates the Facebook post announcing the news. “We would like some privacy at this point. There's a big hole in the world now that he's gone. But, as he said, 'look at the donut, not the hole in the middle.”

After this reference to Twin Peaks -where Kyle MacLachlan, double of the director, had a passion for donuts- the post concludes with this sentence, referring to the mysterious weather reports that Lynch used to make on video on Twitter since the pandemic: “It’s a beautiful day, with golden sunshine and blue skies everywhere.”