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Director David Lynch, best known for co-creating the iconic television series Twin Peaks and directing the films Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive, has died at the age of 78, his family confirmed in a post shared on his Facebook account Thursday (January 16).
"It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and the artist, David Lynch," the post states. "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.”
"It’s a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way."
Lynch's family didn't confirm his cause of death in the post, however, the director was previously diagnosed with emphysema in 2020. Lynch, who claimed to have started smoking at the age of 8 before quitting in 2022, revealed that he needed supplement oxygen to go on a walk during an interview with PEOPLE in November.
“What you sow is what you reap,” Lynch said at the time. "In 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 I got bit.”
Lynch directed his first feature-length film, Eraserhead in 1977, which was followed up by The Elephant Man (1980), which earned eight Academy Award nominations, including best director, Dune (1984), which was later remade by Denis Villenueve in 2021, Blue Velvet (1986), Wild At Heart (1990) and Mulholland Drive (2001).
Lynch created the mystery drama Twin Peaks alongside Mark Frost in 1990, airing for two seasons on ABC before being spawned into the movie prequel Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, which he also directed. The cult classic later returned for a third season on Showtime in 2017, with Lynch directing and co-writing all 18 episodes.