Los Angeles, US, Jan 16 Jan (EFE). – American director David Lynch, whose works include “Blue Velvet,” “Twin Peaks,” and “Mulholland Drive,” died at the age of 78, his family announced on social media on Thursday.
“It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the ing 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,”” reads the message on the eccentric director’s Facebook page.
“It’s a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way,” it added, quoting the Lynch’s short weather report videos on social media.
Lynch announced in August that he was suffering from pulmonary emphysema, a chronic disease in which the lungs become clogged and breathing becomes difficult. The illness prevented him from leaving his home and directing films.
The filmmaker, who was born in Missoula, Montana in 1946, was nominated four times for the Hollywood Academy Awards for “The Elephant Man” (1980), “Blue Velvet” (1986) and “Mulholland Drive” (2001); however, his only Oscar was an honorary award in 2019.
He began his career in the 1960s. His first film, “Eraserhead” (1977), became a classic, the story of Henry Spencer, a man living in a dark industrial world forced to care for his son, a deformed creature.
His career success began with “The Elephant Man,” based on the true story of Joseph Merrick, a 19th-century British man who suffered from severe physical deformities, which earned him his first Oscar nomination.
Lynch also adapted Frank Herbert’s “Dune” in 1984, which was not as successful as expected,.
In 1986 he released “Blue Velvet” starring Isabella Rosellini, whom he married, and Kyle MacLachlan, one of the most important works of his career, in which he explored themes of voyeurism, desire, violence and human complexity.
In 1990, he won the Palm d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival with Wild at Heart, starring Nicholas Cage and Laura Dern.
The director was also responsible for “Twin Peaks”, an innovative TV series that broke with the conventional structure of self-contained episodes. He went on to direct “On the Air” (1992) and “Hotel Room” (1993).
Two years later, he participated in “Lumière and Company” to celebrate the centenary of the first cinema projection with directors from five continents.
With Lost Highway (1997), Lynch unveiled a new catalog of disturbing and eerie images further consolidating his style.
Two years later, with “The Straight Story” (1999), he abandoned an aesthetic and obsessive cinema in favor of a simpler and more moving realization.
At the beginning of the 2000s, he returned to the disturbing with “Mulholland Drive” (2001), for which he received his third and last Oscar nomination for best director.
His last work as a feature film director was “Inland Empire” (2006). Since then, he has made several avant-garde and experimental short films and music videos.
Lynch also dabbled in music and painting and directed ads for several companies, including Calvin Klein.
In 2017, he returned to “Twin Peaks” twenty-five years later to continue it with another season, this time with total creative freedom, something he did not have in the original project.
In recent years, he has remained active on social media with humorous messages, such as announcing each week through a video in X that “It’s a Friday again,” which he stopped doing recently. EFE
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