According to Variety , he died at home from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on January 16. In August 2024, Lynch said he was diagnosed with emphysema. His health took a turn for the worse after he was evacuated due to recent wildfires in Los Angeles. On his personal page, the director’s family representative wrote: “The world is now missing a talented person.”

Director David Lynch. Photo: Marcus Yam/Los Angeles Times

David Lynch, born in 1946, is an American director, screenwriter, producer, painter, musician and photographer. The fantasy and violent elements in his works often evoke contemplation from viewers, while creating a sense of horror and fear. He received three Oscar nominations for Best Director for Blue Velvet , The Elephant Man and Mulholland Drive , was awarded a lifetime achievement Oscar in 2019, and won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for Wild at Heart in 1990.

Trailer “Blue Velvet”. Video: De Laurentiis Entertainment Group

In the 1960s, Lynch lived in a rough part of Philadelphia with his first wife and young daughter, Jennifer, who would later become a director. During this time, Lynch experimented with animated shorts such as Six Men Getting Sick and The Alphabet (1968). The Grandmother (1970), which combined animation and live action, was made with funding from the American Film Foundation. In 1971, Lynch moved to Los Angeles to study filmmaking at the American Film Institute in Beverly Hills. After working as a painter and short film producer, he broke through with his debut feature, Eraserhead (1977), which quickly attracted Hollywood and international attention.

In the late 1970s, Lynch was commissioned by Mel Brooks’ production company to write and direct The Elephant Man , which earned eight Oscar nominations, including his first nomination for Best Director. The film is based on the real life of Joseph Merrick (played by John Hurt), a severely disfigured man in the late 19th century. The film tells a touching story about the contrast between his deformed appearance and his noble soul. Despite being rejected by society, Joseph maintains his dignity and personality, evoking sympathy from the audience. Alongside Joseph, the role of Dr. Frederick Treves (played by Anthony Hopkins) impresses with his boundless compassion and love for the unfortunate.

Actor John Hurt (as Joseph Merrick) in the movie “The Elephant Man”. Photo: Universal Pictures

He had already released Dune (1984), an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s science fiction novel, but it was not a success. The film was made for $40 million, shot over three years, and was a box office failure. However, Lynch regained his reputation with two films that defined his style: Blue Velvet (1986) and Wild at Heart (1990).

In 1990, he made a big change in American television with Twin Peaks , a series he created with screenwriter Mark Frost. The story originated from the investigation of the murder of a high school girl in a lumber town in Washington, and explored sensitive topics such as murder, horror, and the dark side of humanity. The project’s storytelling, character development, and cinematography greatly influenced later television series.

Opening scene from “Twin Peak.” Video: Lynch/Frost Productions

Later, Lynch continued to demonstrate his characteristic surreal style through works such as Lost Highway (1997), Mulholland Drive – which won him the Best Director award at Cannes in 2001 and Inland Empire (2006).

The director often remained silent when asked about the meaning of his work. In his book Lynch On Lynch (2005), he said: “Imagine if you found a book of riddles, you could start to decipher them, but they were really complicated. The mysteries would become clear and interesting to you. The problem is that you can only solve them inside yourself, and even if you told someone, they wouldn’t believe it or understand it the same way.”

After Twin Peaks ended in 2017, Lynch focused on making music videos and composing music with collaborators like Christabell. He also taught film and ran bars in Paris and New York. Lynch has been married four times and has two daughters and two sons.