Legendary filmmaker David Lynch’s cause of death aged 78 revealed
David Lynch’s cause of death has been revealed, nearly a month after his death.
The celebrated filmmaker, who was behind the likes of Mulholland Drive, The Elephant Man and beloved TV show Twin Peaks, died aged 78, on January 15.
His cause of death has now been confirmed as cardiac arrest due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The filmmaker visionary died after becoming housebound with emphysema following years of chain-smoking, and a death certificate released by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has now confirmed COPD was an underlying condition suffered by the auteur.
His health certificate, obtained by TMZ, also notes dehydration as a significant contributing factor to his passing.
It’s also claimed that Lynch died at his daughter’s house, where he had been staying during the wildfires in Los Angeles, and that he was cremated on January 22.
Last year, Lynch revealed he had been diagnosed with emphysema after decades of smoking, and said that he was homebound.
However, in August, after concerns from fans, he insisted he wouldn’t let the disease result in his retirement.
At the time, he wrote on X: ‘Ladies and Gentlemen, yes, I have emphysema from my many years of smoking.
‘I have to say that I enjoyed smoking very much, and I do love tobacco – the smell of it, lighting cigarettes on fire, smoking them – but there is a price to pay for this enjoyment, and the price for me is emphysema.
‘I have now quit smoking for over two years. Recently I had many tests and the good news is that I am in excellent shape except for emphysema.
‘I am filled with happiness, and I will never retire.
‘I want you all to know that I really appreciate your concern. Love, David.’
Emphysema is a form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) which is caused by damage to the air sacs in the lungs, according to the NHS website.
Following the news of his death, Hollywood stars and fans paid tribute.
‘My heart is broken. My Buddy Dave… The world will not be the same without him,’ Naomi Watts wrote on Instagram. ‘His creative mentorship was truly powerful. He put me on the map.
‘The world I’d been trying to break into for 10-plus years, flunking auditions left and right. Finally, I sat in front of a curious man, beaming with light, speaking words from another era, making me laugh and feel at ease.
‘How did he even “see me” when I was so well hidden, and I’d even lost sight of myself?! It wasn’t just his art that impacted me – his wisdom, humour, and love gave me a special sense of belief in myself I’d never accessed before.’
Naomi was ‘in pieces’ after his death, while Hugh Jackman referenced Lynch’s transcendental meditation and The David Lynch Foundation For Consciousness-Based Education And World Peace, which he founded in 2005.
‘[The foundation] has been an inspiration to my life,’ Hugh wrote. ‘I will continue to help carry the torch as best I can.’
Kyle MacLachlan, who played lead star FBI agent Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks, said he owes his ‘entire career, and life really, to his vision’ after Lynch originally cast him in 1984 sci-fi film Dune, based on the Frank Herbert novel.
‘Our friendship blossomed on Blue Velvet and then Twin Peaks and I always found him to be the most authentically alive person I’d ever met,’ he continued.
‘I will miss him more than the limits of my language can tell and my heart can bear. My world is that much fuller because I knew him and that much emptier now that he’s gone.’
Nicolas Cage, who starred in the 1990 road trip film Wild At Heart which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, described Lynch as ‘one of the greatest artists of this or any time’.
‘He was brave, brilliant, and a maverick with a joyful sense of humour,’ he said in a statement. ‘I never had more fun on a film set than working with David Lynch. He will always be solid gold.’
And original Twin Peaks star Lara Flynn Boyle, who played Donna Hayward in the early 1990s series, hailed him as ‘the true Willy Wonka of filmmaking’ in a statement.
Confirming the news of his death, Lynch’s family wrote on Facebook last month: ‘It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing 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.”
‘It’s a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way.’
Born in Missoula, Montana, Lynch began a career in painting before switching to making short films during the 1960s.
In 1977, he made his first feature-length film, Eraserhead, a black and white, surrealist body horror which follows Henry Spencer as he navigates a strange and gloomy industrial landscape filled with strange characters such as The Lady In The Radiator.
Major success came in the 1980s with the release of The Elephant Man, loosely based on the life of Joseph Merrick, a severely deformed man who lived in London in the late 19th century, and Blue Velvet, a neo-noir mystery thriller.
Blue Velvet launched Lynch into the mainstream but prompted controversy with its violent and sexual content.
Lynch has been Oscar-nominated four times including two nods for 1980’s The Elephant Man for directing and adapted screenplay, and two more directing nominations for 1986’s Blue Velvet and 2001’s Mulholland Drive.
Some of his other directing credits included 1984’s Dune, 1990’s Wild At Heart, 1997’s Lost Highway, 1999’s The Straight Story and 2006’s Inland Empire.
In 2019, he received an honorary Academy Award which recognises individuals who have made significant contributions to the industry but have not yet won an Oscar.
Among his numerous accolades across his 58-year career, Lynch won the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement award in 2006.
Lynch achieved worldwide stardom with the release of Twin Peaks, co-created with Mark Frost, in 1990, running until 1991 with its initial two series, which told the story of Dale Cooper, an eccentric FBI agent who visits a quaint town to investigate the murder of 17-year-old Laura Palmer. He returned to develop and write Twin Peaks: The Return, released in 2017.
Another career milestone was Mulholland Drive, a non-linear tale showing the dark side of Hollywood which earned him the best director award at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival.
His other directing credits included him becoming the first director to adapt Frank Herbert novel Dune in 1984, 1997’s Lost Highway, 1999’s The Straight Story and 2006’s Inland Empire.
Billy Corgan, lead singer of alternative rock band Smashing Pumpkins, who contributed the song Eye to the Lost Highway soundtrack said he was ‘truly saddened’ by the news in a post on X.
He said: ‘Working with him was like a dream out of one of his movies, and I treasure the times I got to speak with him and hear first-hand his vision for a film.
‘I truly encourage anyone who loves movies and television to watch all that David produced. He was a true artist, through and through.’
Lynch also made a foray into music, releasing three of his own studio albums, which saw him work with Yeah Yeah Yeahs singer Karen O and Swedish singer Lykke Li.
He also practiced transcendental meditation, founding The David Lynch Foundation For Consciousness-Based Education And World Peace in 2005.
As a child, the director moved around often with his family and found he had an early gift for visual arts and a passion for travel, which led to his enrolment in the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the beginning of a 10-year apprenticeship as a maker of short movies.
His death came just days before his 79th birthday, which would have been on January 20.
This article was originally published on January 16.
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