‘Dune’ director David Lynch dies at 78

Rebellious filmmaker David Lynch born Jan 20, 1946 has died earlier today at the age of 78.

The accomplished painter, musician, writer, cartoonist, actor, director, and main creative force behind unsettling features like “Eraserhead,” “The Elephant Man,” “Blue Velvet,” “Wild at Heart,” “Lost Highway,” “Mulholland Drive,” “Inland Empire,” “The Straight Story,” and his flawed $40 million sci-fi masterpiece, the 1984 adaptation of Frank Herbert’s “Dune,” leaves behind a legacy of dark disturbing fare still being dissected and emulated by artists of all persuasions today.

As reported by Variety, Lynch passed away due to complications from advanced emphysema which had forced him to retire from public life and moviemaking last year.

a man in a suit gives a peace sign to a camera — Director David Lynch attends the 11th Annual Peace and Love Birthday Celebration honoring Ringo Starr’s 79th birthday at Capitol Records Tower on July 07, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Image credit: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)

An entire generation of cinephiles recognizes the term “Lynchian,” which came to represent the visionary Missoula, Montana-born filmmaker’s dreamy surreal style and penetrating psychological storytelling that seemed to peer into our very souls.

With ABC’s supernatural murder mystery TV series “Twin Peaks” beginning in 1990, Lynch and Mark Frost delivered the hyphenate’s inimitable style to a strange episodic show that captivated the world and spawned suburban viewing parties complete with offerings of black coffee and cherry pie. The series ran for two seasons and was followed by 1992’s film prequel, “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.”

Producer Mel Brooks tapped into his genius when he hired him to helm 1980’s “The Elephant Man,” a real-life period piece starring John Hurt and Anthony Hopkins about a deformed man named John Merrick in Victorian England. That moving film garnered eight Academy Award nods, including Lynch’s nomination for Best Director.

Most recently, Lynch made a memorable cameo as legendary western director John Ford in Steven Spielberg’s “The Fablemans,” from 2022. He was a four-time Oscar nominee presented with an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2020.

Lynch’s family announced his death in a Facebook post stating: “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.’ It’s a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way.”

Married four times, Lynch is survived by two daughters and two sons.