A chorus of Hollywood icons have come forward to pay tribute to the iconic filmmaker sadly ed away at the age of 78. Lynch’s death was confirmed by his family in a Facebook post on Thursday, which mourned “a big hole in the world now that he’s no longer with us.”
While the family did not reveal a cause of death, the Eraserhead director last year revealed that he had been suffering from emphysema and was unable to leave the house. Now, scores of his director peers and fellow Hollywood juggernauts have taken to social media to Lynch, whom Steven Speilberg described as “as a singular, visionary dreamer.”
The director, who Mulholland Drive — as a filmmaker “who inspired so many of us.”
Ron Howard, meanwhile, ed his fellow Best Director Academy Award nominee as a “gracious man and fearless artist who followed his heart [and] soul and proved that radical experimentation could yield unforgettable cinema.” Elsewhere, Jane Schoenbrun — whose 2024 film I Saw The TV Glow drew immediate comparisons to Lynch’s filmography upon its release — said Lynch “dedicated his life to opening a portal,” adding that the filmmaker’s “gift will reverberate for the rest of my life.”
Erin Brockovich director Steven Soderbergh said in an interview with Associated Press that Lynch “was influential but impossible to imitate,” while Judd Apatow ed the the director as “kind and hilarious and full of life.” Meanwhile, Joe Russo, one-half of the Marvel directing duo that is the Russo Brothers, lamented how “the world lost a master of cinema today.” Tributes to Lynch extended beyond his director colleagues and were led by actor and longtime Lynch muse, Kyle MacLachlan.
The actor — who appeared in Lynch’s adaptation of Dune as well as Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks — wrote of his gratitude for the director in an emotional Instagram post. “Forty-two years ago, for reasons beyond my comprehension, David Lynch plucked me out of obscurity,” MacLachlan wrote. “[He] was an enigmatic and intuitive man with a creative ocean bursting forth inside of him.” MacLachlan was ed in his tribute by fellow stars of Lynch films Nicolas Cage and Lee Grant, who ed him as “brave, brilliant, and a maverick” and “a one-of-a-kind artist,” respectively.
In the music world, Sting — who starred in Dune — said Lynch was a “modern giant of the avant garde, while Billy Corgan — whose band Smashing Pumpkins contributed to the soundtrack of Lynch’s film Lost Highway — said “working with [Lynch] was like a dream out of one of his movies.”
Published: Jan 17, 2025 04:42 am