The cause of death for director David Lynch, who created the “Twin Peaks” television series and acclaimed films including “Fire Walk With Me” and “Mulholland Drive,” has been released nearly one month after his death at age 78.
Lynch died from cardiac arrest as a result of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to a death certificate obtained by TMZ published Friday. The document lists dehydration as a significant contributing factor in Lynch’s death.
News of Lynch’s passing inspired a monumental response from fans, cinephiles and past collaborators alike. The native Montanan, a famed proponent of transcendental meditation, died last month. He announced in August that he was diagnosed with emphysema in 2020.
Lynch noted when confirming his diagnosis in a social media post last summer that the chronic lung condition was likely related to his penchant for smoking. Still, when the late director received an honorary Oscar in 2019, he was steadfast about the habit.
“I have emphysema from many years of smoking,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “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.”
Lynch established himself as an auteur in the late 1970s with films like “Eraserhead” and “The Elephant Man,” which was nominated for eight Oscars in 1981. 1990′s “Twin Peaks” became a cultural phenomenon that ushered in an era of “appointment-viewing” television.
“Twin Peaks” star Kyle MacLachlan mourned Lynch in a heartfelt tribute last month.
“He clearly saw something in me that even I didn’t recognize,” he wrote at the time. “I owe my entire career, and life really, to his vision. “What I saw in him was an enigmatic and intuitive man with a creative ocean bursting forth inside of him.”
Lynch’s family announced his death in an equally sorrowful post.
“There’s a big hole in the world now that he’s no longer with us,” they wrote in a statement on Facebook. “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.”
The director, who published several books about spiritual mindfulness and the creative process that made him an icon, also sometimes acted — and was last seen onscreen portraying the late director John Ford in Steven Spielberg’s 2022 film “The Fablemans.”
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“Now remember this,” he tells an aspiring young filmmaker in the movie. “When the horizon’s at the bottom, it’s interesting. When the horizon’s at the top, it’s interesting. When the horizon’s in the middle, it’s boring as shit. Now, good luck to you.”
Lynch is survived by four children, as well as some ex-lovers, who also paid heartfelt tribute after his death.