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David Lynch

Update: Obituary from Hollywood Reporter

No great surprise, sadly, but despite the emphysema he nearly made it to 80.

It always feels silly to lament the death of someone who lived a long, fulfilling creative life exactly the way they want it, but I can't help but feel tremendously sad. I can't express how much his films have meant to me and though it's no surprise, it leaves me very sad. Twin Peaks: The Return might be one of the great defining final statements by a film artist and still to me the defining film work of the 21st century.

Definitely one of the best artists ever in any medium. Must have seen Blue Velvet 70 times. It really is crazy how otherworldly even his most commercial ventures were teleporting me to my dreams with release.

Last year my wife and I slowly went through all of Twin Peaks. She’s not an artsy person in the least so this was a gamble, but the Lynch led parts genuinely enthused her with a real emotional connection.

The Elegant Dandy Fop wrote: Thu Jan 16, 2025 6:31 pm It always feels silly to lament the death of someone who lived a long, fulfilling creative life exactly the way they want it, but I can't help but feel tremendously sad. I can't express how much his films have meant to me and though it's no surprise, it leaves me very sad. Twin Peaks: The Return might be one of the great defining final statements by a film artist and still to me the defining film work of the 21st century.

Very well said. And there were so many projects swimming around in the man's head, that ostensibly almost made it to production, that I can't help but feel even sadder for that absence of great art unrealised. But what we did get was so special. There are some days when I think Twin Peaks: The Return is my favorite film. It has nearly everything the medium offers packed in

Fuck.

Lynch was singular. I didn’t like all of his movies, or all of his other visual art pieces, but the ones I loved had such a magic to them that I didn’t hesitate to call him my favorite living artist.

He was a genuine eccentric with an artistic voice so singular that countless imitators have embarrassed themselves by aping it to any degree. I don't hold his oeuvre in as high esteem as many, but Mulholland Dr is a best case scenario for Lynch’s brand of playful crypticism and it’s easy to see why even non-believers were won over by it

Yeah it feels silly to feel sad about the death of someone who achieved his life's ambitions but it is sad because for cinema fans, its like losing a relative, a grandpa. I knew with Twin Peaks: The Return, that was it for him but just having him around sharing his wisdom, his thoughts, really brightened my view. That's really where the sadness comes from for me.

I can’t believe that Hollywood Reporter obituary calls The Return a “disappointing reboot.” It’s maybe the finest thing ever made for the screen.

MichaelB wrote: Thu Jan 16, 2025 6:23 pm No great surprise, sadly, but despite the emphysema he nearly made it to 80.

His producer said last week he had evacuated his home because of the fires, and I have to wonder if all the junk in the air was too much for his lungs.

Kracker wrote: Thu Jan 16, 2025 6:53 pm just having him around sharing his wisdom, his thoughts, really brightened my view. That's really where the sadness comes from for me.

That's it. He leaves behind a profound body of work, a generous accomplishment, but his kindness and decency go with him.

I find it a great and comforting coincidence that seeing The Brutalist this week made me think it was best film I’d seen since INLAND EMPIRE. RIP David.

When I was 14 (so, around 1990), my sister and I rented Blue Velvet and it changed my life. Soon after, I found the only video store in the area that had Eraserhead and watched that, too. In fact, I wrote a review for my middle school newspaper, which was censored because I described the chickens that are served for dinner as "ejaculating blood." His work means a lot to me, and I find myself sadder faced with this news than I have been with news of similar giants of art passing--despite it not being surprising, given his health.

R.I.P. David. This feels like a personal loss. I will miss him greatly.

domino harvey wrote: Thu Jan 16, 2025 6:38 pm He was a genuine eccentric

This is it for me. He dressed kind of silly, was clearly a dork but also a creative and inventive genius. His art speaks for itself, and the man never needed to put on a show to prove how weird he truly was. Even his politics, whatever they were, were not easy to pin down. A true eccentric.

Like you, Denti, it was Blue Velvet for me back in high school. After that I picked away at his filmography as best I could, but it wasn't until my last year of undergrad, when the complete Twin Peaks was finally released on DVD, that I dove completely into his filmography and became a bit lost in it. It was heartening to see that Lynch's creative powers not only refused to dim, but only got better with age. Mulholland Drive, Inland Empire, and The Return are probably his best work. It was always nice knowing he was just around, and deeply sad to know that now he's not.

Nothing much to add, except that for me, too, he was one of the key artists of my lifetime, and with Twin Peaks The Return, one of the few filmmakers who grew old and went out on a high. And while I agree that it is something to celebrate that he lived a long life and achieved so much, the world is very much a lesser place without him. RIP "Jimmy Stewart on Mars" and may he continue to chain smoke untroubled by earthly concerns.

RIP Mr Lynch and thanks for the memories. I had a terrible feeling when Sabrina Sutherland posted that he had to evacuate his home in the hills. The Return wasn't for everyone but Hollywood Reporter can fuck right off with that disparaging remark. Going to rewatch FWWM in his memory this weekend.

What he was able to achieve within the studio system and extremely conservative American network television is nothing short of miraculous. It’s tempting to lament the fascinating works he never got to realize (Ronnie Rocket, The White Hotel, his animated feature, etc.), but we should be so thankful that he gifted us with an unbelievable oeuvre and his incredible visual art

R.I.P. David Lynch. What a career!

If nobody minds, I'd like to share my favorite of his lithographs, which I found an oddly comforting piece during the first Trump administration:

Something I want to add that I doubt the obituaries will mention is what a terrific director of actors Lynch was. He had this ability to pull astonishing, notable performances out of actors who otherwise went on to do very little of note--and when he did work with an actor of the calibre of, say, Laura Dern, the results were transformative. He's genuinely one of the best actor directors to ever do it, although it's rarely remarked on just because his eccentric artistic vision kinda overwhelms everything else.

His work resonated with me in particular as a fellow Montanan. Those eccentric weirdos that populate his works all really just feel like extensions of people I knew growing up and still know to this day. I can quite literally go and visit the location where the The Return culminates outside Missoula too; so his work always feels close in a physical as well as emotional sense. A true original in every sense of the word.

Such a great artist. His works will live on.

Mr Sausage wrote: Thu Jan 16, 2025 7:35 pm Something I want to add that I doubt the obituaries will mention is what a terrific director of actors Lynch was. He had this ability to pull astonishing, notable performances out of actors who otherwise went on to do very little of note--and when he did work with an actor of the calibre of, say, Laura Dern, the results were transformative. He's genuinely one of the best actor directors to ever do it, although it's rarely remarked on just because his eccentric artistic vision kinda overwhelms everything else.

He directed so many actors to their career-best performances, even at their outsets. Naomi Watts, as accomplished as she's been since, still stuns in Mulholland Dr.. Same with Maclachlan and Twin Peaks.