AFP-BNS

David Lynch, the groundbreaking director behind Mulholland Drive and the TV series Twin Peaks, renowned for his unsettling portrayals of American life, has died at the age of 78.

“With deep sadness, we, his family, announce the passing of David Lynch, a beloved man and artist,” read a statement on his official Facebook page.

“Now that he is no longer with us, the world has a large hole. But as he would have said, ‘Focus on the doughnut, not the hole.’”

The statement did not specify the cause or location of his death. Lynch, who lived in Los Angeles and was a heavy smoker for many years, had suffered from lung emphysema.

Lynch emerged on the American independent film scene with his innovative 1977 horror film Eraserhead, a haunting and now cult-classic movie that took five years to complete due to a limited budget and his need to support his wife and daughter.

He earned a devoted following with critically acclaimed films such as the 1986 sadomasochistic mystery Blue Velvet and the 2000 surreal thriller Mulholland Drive.

However, Lynch is perhaps best remembered for the hypnotic early-1990s TV series Twin Peaks.

“It would be difficult to look at any season of television today and not find works that owe a creative debt to Twin Peaks,” wrote The Atlantic in a 2016 article praising the show’s influence on directors like Quentin Tarantino and the Coen Brothers.

Lynch was nominated for an Academy Award four times, including three Best Director nods, but received just one honorary Oscar in 2019.

“Today is a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies,” his family’s statement concluded, echoing Lynch’s cheerful weather updates that he frequently shared online.