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The legendary director behind Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive, David Lynch, has died.
Lynch passed away at the age of 72, according to his family.
Lynch’s death was announced in a statement on Facebook on Thursday.
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“It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and the artist, David Lynch,” the statement read.
“We would appreciate some privacy at this time. There’s a big hole in the world now that he’s no longer with us.”
Just last year, Lynch revealed he had been diagnosed with emphysema after decades of smoking.
But after concerns from fans, Lynch insisted in August that he wouldn’t let the disease lead to his retirement.
At the time, he wrote on X: “Ladies and gentlemen, yes, I have emphysema from my many years of smoking. I have now quit smoking for over two years. I am filled with happiness, and I will never retire.”
Lynch was born in Missoula, Montana, in 1946.
He was famous for his surreal neo-noir mystery films, with his first feature-length film, 1977’s Eraserhead, being a midnight movie success.
A four-time Oscar nominee, Lynch received an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement in 2020.
After years spent as a painter and a maker of short animated and live action films, Lynch burst onto the scene with his 1977 feature debut “Eraserhead,” a horrific, black-humored work that became a disturbing fixture on the midnight movie circuit. His outré and uncompromising style quickly won the attention of the Hollywood and international movie-making establishment.
He was hired by Mel Brooks’ production company to write and direct “The Elephant Man,” a deeply affecting drama about a horrifically deformed sideshow freak in Victorian England who became a national celebrity. The feature captured eight Academy Award nominations, including Lynch’s first for best director.