LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK – David Lynch, the visionary filmmaker, writer, and artist renowned for his surrealistic storytelling and groundbreaking work in film and television, has passed away at the age of 78. His family announced the news on Thursday.

"It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and the artist, David Lynch," read a statement on his Facebook page. "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.'" Lynch, who had disclosed in August 2024 that he was battling emphysema after years of smoking, did not have a cause of death officially released.

Known for his visually arresting and often unsettling works, Lynch was a master of surrealism, crafting dreamlike narratives filled with bizarre imagery and disturbing undertones. He earned Academy Award nominations for Blue Velvet, The Elephant Man, and Mulholland Drive, and co-created the cult classic TV series Twin Peaks. In 2019, Lynch received an honorary Academy Award recognizing his lifetime contributions to cinema.

His filmography includes the Cannes Palme d'Or-winning Wild at Heart (1990), the cult horror classic Eraserhead (1977), and the enigmatic mystery Lost Highway (1997). Lynch’s unique filmmaking style, often described as "Lynchian," seamlessly blended the mundane with the macabre, creating a genre all his own. Vanity Fair once defined it as “weird, creepy, and slow,” with an emphasis on mood and atmosphere over traditional narrative structure.

"Each film or painting has its own language," Lynch told The Guardian in 2018. "It's not right to try to explain it in words. The words are not there." A devotee of transcendental meditation, Lynch preferred not to dissect his own work, leaving audiences to interpret his often-ambiguous creations. Music and sound design played pivotal roles in his films, amplifying the emotional and psychological impact of his stories.

"His eye for absurd details that thrust a scene into shocking relief and his taste in risky, often grotesque material made him, perhaps, Hollywood's most revered eccentric, a sort of psychopathic Norman Rockwell," wrote The New York Times in 1990.

Following the announcement of his death, tributes poured in from fans and filmmakers alike. Actor and director Ron Howard wrote on X, “A gracious man and fearless artist who followed his heart & soul and proved that radical experimentation could yield unforgettable cinema.” David Lynch leaves behind a legacy that reshaped modern filmmaking, inspiring generations of artists to embrace the strange, the surreal, and the sublime.

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