David Lynch died aged 78 this week after a harrowing health battle that left him barely able to “walk across a room”.
The legendary filmmaker, whose work included the film Mulholland Drive and the series Twin Peaks, had been confined to home due to his battle with emphysema.
Lynch began smoking at the age of eight and was diagnosed with the disease in 2020 before finally giving up cigarettes in 2022.
During his harrowing final decline in recent months, he gave more than one interview that offered glimpses of his deteriorating condition.
In August he insisted he would “never retire” but acknowledged he could only direct remotely, as making films in person put him at risk of contracting COVID-19.
In November, she shared that she was dependent on supplemental oxygen and was having so much trouble breathing that she felt like she had “a plastic bag” over her head, she said. People.
David Lynch died aged 78 this week after a harrowing health battle that left him barely able to “walk across a room”; photographed in Beverly Hills in 2019
Lynch explained his illness to his fans on X last August, saying he was housebound “whether he liked it or not” due to emphysema.
‘Yes, I have emphysema due to my many years of smoking. I have to say that I really enjoy smoking and I love tobacco: the smell, lighting cigarettes, smoking them, but there is a price to pay for this pleasure, and the price for me is emphysema.’ wrote the director of Eraserhead.
‘It’s been more than two years since I stopped smoking. I recently had a lot of tests done and the good news is that I am in excellent shape except for the emphysema,’ he added.
‘I am full of happiness and I will never retire. I want everyone to know that I really appreciate your concern,’ the Blue Velvet filmmaker concluded.
That month he recalled, “Smoking was something I loved, but in the end it bit me,” in an interview with film magazine Sight & Sound.
Throughout his career, cigarettes became a visual element of his films, as well as part of his own personality as an avant-garde filmmaker.
In August he said he still hoped to continue directing remotely, even though working on sets in person was already out of the question.
About three months later, he wistfully shared: ‘A very important part of my life was smoking. I loved the smell of tobacco, the taste of tobacco. I loved lighting cigarettes. For me it was part of being a painter and filmmaker.”
The legendary filmmaker, whose work included the film Mulholland Drive and the series Twin Peaks, had been housebound due to his battle with emphysema; photographed in 1999
Lynch began smoking at the age of eight and was diagnosed with the disease in 2020 before finally giving up cigarettes in 2022; photographed in 2002
Throughout his career, cigarettes became a visual element of his films, as well as part of his own personality as an avant-garde filmmaker; in the photo 1984
Lynch acknowledged that “what you sow is what you reap,” saying, “At the back of every smoker’s mind is the fact that it’s healthy, so you’re literally playing with fire.” It can bite you. I took a chance and they bit me.
He tried to quit smoking “many, many times” over the years, “but when the going got tough, I had my first cigarette and it was a one-way trip to heaven,” he reflected. —Then you will smoke again.
Only in 2022, two years after being diagnosed with emphysema, did he finally kick the habit by turning to transcendental meditation.
‘I saw the writing on the wall. and he said, “You’re going to die in a week if you don’t stop.” I could barely move without gasping for breath. Giving up was my only option.”
Offering a disturbing insight into what turned out to be his latest deterioration, he confessed that it was “difficult to live with emphysema.” I can barely cross a room. “It’s like you’re walking with a plastic bag around your head.”
Despite the “high price” he paid for smoking, he said, “I have no regrets.” It was important to me. I want what every addict wants: that what we love is good for us.’
His advice to fellow smokers was: ‘Think about it. You can leave these things that will end up killing you. I owe it to them, and to myself, to say it.
Lynch is survived by his fourth wife, Emily Stofle, as well as his daughter Jennifer, 56, whom he had with his first wife Peggy Reavey, as well as his children Riley, 42, and Austin, 33, whose mother is Lynch’s second wife, Mary Fisk.
Kyle MacLachlan is pictured with Isabella Rossellini in the 1982 film Blue Velvet, one of the most enduring films of Lynch’s career.
MacLachlan appears with Sherilyn Fenn in Lynch’s groundbreaking 1990s television procedural Twin Peaks, considered a precursor to prestige television.
His loved ones broke the news of his death on Facebook on Tuesday, writing: It is with deep sadness that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and artist David Lynch. We would appreciate some privacy at this time. “There is a big hole in the world now that he is no longer with us.”
They added: ‘But, as he would say, ‘Keep your eyes on the donut and not the hole.’ It’s a beautiful day with a golden sun and a blue sky at all times.’
News of his death was met with an outpouring of praise from Hollywood figures, including fellow directors James Gunn, Harmony Korine and Ron Howard.
Lee Grant, whom Lynch directed in Mulholland Drive, shared his fond memories of working for the man he described as a “unique artist.”
Lynch’s old friend Kyle MacLachlan, whom he directed in projects like Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks, posted a devastated tribute to the late director.
“While the world has lost an extraordinary artist, I have lost a dear friend who imagined a future for me and allowed me to travel to worlds I could never have conceived on my own,” wrote MacLachlan, whose career was launched by Blue Velvet. .