Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Kevin E G Perry

David Lynch death: Steven Spielberg, Kyle MacLachlan, Naomi Watts and more pay tribute to auteur

David Lynch, the celebrated director of avant-garde films such as Eraserhead, Mulholland Drive and The Elephant Man and the much-loved TV show Twin Peaks, has died at the age of 78.

His family announced his death in a Facebook post on Thursday (16 January), writing, “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.’”

Lynch developed a singular style known for unsettling visuals, stream-of-consciousness storytelling, and kitsch soundtracks. As a director he walked a tightrope between his artistic sensibilities and his inexplicable popular appeal among the more conventional moviegoing public, with New Yorker film critic Pauline Kael labelling him “the first populist surrealist”.

In his frequent collaborations with Hollywood luminaries such as Laura Dern, Kyle MacLachlan, Sheryl Lee, Naomi Watts, Jack Nance and Harry Dean Stanton, the director leaves behind an oeuvre that rivals those of the medium’s most accomplished auteurs.

Many stars who worked with Lynch, including Dern, MacLachlan, Watts and Nicolas Cage, have paid tribute to the director, with Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard also honouring their fellow filmmaker.

Find the tributes to Lynch below.

Key Points

  • David Lynch obituary
  • Kyle MacLachlan says he was ‘forever changed’ by Lynch in heartfelt message
  • Steven Spielberg calls Lynch a ‘singular, visionary dreamer'

Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn pays tribute

Thursday 16 January 2025 18:58 , Kevin Perry

James Gunn, director of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and DC’s upcoming Superman, paid tribute on X/Twitter writing: “RIP David Lynch. You inspired so many of us.”

David Lynch, Twin Peaks and Elephant Man director, dies aged 78

Thursday 16 January 2025 19:00 , Tom Murray

Speaking to Sight & Sound magazine last year, Lynch revealed he was diagnosed with emphysema due to smoking throughout his life and said he could not “go out” due to Covid fears.

“I’ve gotten emphysema from smoking for so long and so I’m homebound whether I like it or not. It would be very bad for me to get sick, even with a cold,” he said, revealing that he “can only walk a short distance before” he’s “out of oxygen”.

Read more:

David Lynch, Twin Peaks and Elephant Man director, dies aged 78

Patton Oswalt jokes about Lynch’s surreal style

Thursday 16 January 2025 19:02 , Kevin Perry

Comedian and actor Patton Oswalt jokes about Lynch’s surreal style in his tribute, writing: “David Lynch, RIP. At least that’s what the horse wearing a fez just told me* in a dream. (*Backwards and in Swedish)”

Questlove remembers Lynch stressing 'the importance of not overworking’

Thursday 16 January 2025 19:28 , Kevin Perry

The Roots drummer Questlove remembered Lynch, a noted advocate of Transcendental Meditation, for his personal influence on him.

On Instagram he shared photographs of the pair together, writing: “Lynch was the first human/creative that stressed the importance of not overworking and taking time out to breathe & meditate and searching for creative avenues not in my comfort zone (he was my guiding creative light for the Somethingtofoodabout book from 2016. Took a liking to me always inviting me to his events and parties and really stressing the importance of self care. Thank You.”

Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan calls Lynch ‘a true artist'

Thursday 16 January 2025 19:38 , Kevin Perry
Billy Corgan performing with The Smashing Pumpkins in Baltimore in 2007 (Evan Agostini/Getty Images for Virgin Mobile USA)

In 1997, The Smashing Pumpkins contributed the song “Eye” to the soundtrack of Lynch’s film Lost Highway.

Frontman Billy Corgan, who Lynch once called a “magical musician”, shared a statement about the late director on social media, writing: “Truly saddened to hear of the passing of David Lynch. 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.”

Flying Lotus calls Lynch ‘my hero'

Thursday 16 January 2025 19:43 , Kevin Perry
Flying Lotus at the Grammys in 2016 (Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

Producer, DJ and rapper Flying Lotus shared a brief statement on Lynch’s death, writing on social media: “My hero. And one of the world’s greatest artists of any era…. He knew.”

Ron Howard praises Lynch’s ‘radical experimentation'

Thursday 16 January 2025 19:53 , Kevin Perry
Ron Howard in Beverly Hills in November 2022 (Getty Images)

Oscar-winning director and Happy Days star Ron Howard paid tribute to Lynch on social media, writing: “#RIPDavidLynch, a gracious man and fearless artist who followed his heart & soul and proved that radical experimentation could yield unforgettable cinema.”

Steven Spielberg calls Lynch a ‘singular, visionary dreamer'

Thursday 16 January 2025 20:03 , Kevin Perry
(Getty)

Steven Spielberg, who cast Lynch as John Ford in his autobiographical film The Fabelmans, has remembered the director as one of his heroes.

In a statement to Variety, Spielberg said: “I loved David’s films. Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive and Elephant Man defined him as a singular, visionary dreamer who directed films that felt handmade.

“I got to know David when he played John Ford in The Fabelmans. Here was one of my heroes—David Lynch playing one of my heroes. It was surreal and seemed like a scene out of one of David’s own movies. The world is going to miss such an original and unique voice. His films have already stood the test of time and they always will.”

Harmony Korine calls Lynch ‘truly a GOAT'

Thursday 16 January 2025 20:35 , Kevin Perry
Harmony Korine in Venice in 2024 (Getty Images)

Spring Breakers and The Beach Bum director Harmony Korine says Lynch was “a Mount Rushmore-level director.”

In a statement to IndieWire, Korine said: “David Lynch was one of our great artists, a Mount Rushmore-level director, truly a GOAT. He changed a lot of people’s lives. There will never be another one like him, because he made films at a point in history where nothing like that had ever been experienced before.

“We live in a time where everything has been seen. Lynch invented a new language. He was a once in a generation talent who absorbed the embers of America’s wildness. He embraced his own inner logic and filtered it through a subconscious magic. He created worlds and unmatched vibrations. He hit on things that were inexplicable and sacred and beyond articulation. He is a treasure. His work will live forever.”

Caroline Polachek says Lynch is the ‘greatest artist of our lifetime'

Thursday 16 January 2025 20:51 , Kevin Perry
Caroline Polachek attending the Grammys in February 2024 (Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

Musician Caroline Polachek wrote in a statement on Instagram: “David Lynch is the greatest artist of our lifetime.

“We’re so lucky to have his perspective on contemporary life, to counter (and provide the subtitles below) all the literal, logical, and linear thinking we’re fed - and to approach the ineffabilities of time and emotion with his sophistication, style and soulful curiousity.

“My heart is broken that he is gone, and that his final gestures didn’t just feel final, but were.

“RIP and thank you to a true visionary.”

Judd Apatow says Lynch had a ‘unique soul'

Thursday 16 January 2025 20:59 , Kevin Perry
Judd Apatow in Beverly Hills in 2017 (Getty Images)

The 40-Year-Old Virgin and This Is 40 director Judd Apatow has posted a tribute to Lynch on Instagram, writing: “Just a few months ago Michael Bonfiglio and myself got to interview David Lynch at his home for our documentary about Mel Brooks. He was kind and hilarious and full of life. I took a ton of photos of him during the interview. Every one captures his joy and unique soul.

“His work was magnificent. It stays with you forever. His efforts to spread transcendental meditation through his foundation changed the lives of countless people including mine. His book about creativity, Catching The Big Fish, is a game changer. He was a true gift to us all!”

Kyle MacLachlan says he was ‘forever changed’ by Lynch in heartfelt message

Thursday 16 January 2025 21:06 , Kevin Perry
David Lynch and Kyle MacLachlan at a ‘Twin Peaks’ premiere in 2017 (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Kyle MacLachlan, a frequent collaborator of Lynch who starred in Dune and Twin Peaks, posted a heartfelt statement about the late director on Instagram.

“Forty-two years ago, for reasons beyond my comprehension, David Lynch plucked me out of obscurity to star in his first and last big budget movie,” wrote MacLachlan.

“He clearly saw something in me that even I didn’t recognize. 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. He was in touch with something the rest of us wish we could get to.

“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.

“David was in tune with the universe and his own imagination on a level that seemed to be the best version of human. He was not interested in answers because he understood that questions are the drive that make us who we are. They are our breath.

“While the world has lost a remarkable artist, I’ve lost a dear friend who imagined a future for me and allowed me to travel in worlds I could never have conceived on my own.

“I can see him now, standing up to greet me in his backyard, with a warm smile and big hug and that Great Plains honk of a voice. We’d talk coffee, the joy of the unexpected, the beauty of the world, and laugh.

“His love for me and mine for him came out of the cosmic fate of two people who saw the best things about themselves in each other.

“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.

“David, I remain forever changed, and forever your Kale. Thank you for everything.”

Nicolas Cage says: ‘I never had more fun on a film set than working with David Lynch'

Thursday 16 January 2025 22:29 , Kevin Perry
(Getty Images)

Nicolas Cage, who starred in Lynch’s Wild at Heart in 1990, told Deadline that the director “was a singular genius in cinema, one of the greatest artists of this or any time.”

“He was brave, brilliant, and a maverick with a joyful sense of humor,” Cage continued. “I never had more fun on a film set than working with David Lynch. He will always be solid gold.”

Lara Flynn Boyle calls Lynch ‘the true Willy Wonka of filmmaking'

Thursday 16 January 2025 22:45 , Kevin Perry
(Getty Images)

Lara Flynn Boyle, who played Donna Hayward in Twin Peaks, remembered Lynch in a statement to Deadline: “There goes the true Willy Wonka of filmmaking. I feel like I got the golden ticket getting a chance to work with him. He will be greatly missed.”

Naomi Watts says she feels lucky to have been a part of Lynch’s ‘altered world'

Thursday 16 January 2025 23:24 , Kevin Perry
Laura Dern, David Lynch and Naomi Watts (Getty Images)

In a moving statement posted to Instagram, Mulholland Drive star Naomi Watts said: “My heart is broken. My Buddy Dave… The world will not be the same without him. His creative mentorship was truly powerful. He put me on the map. The world I’d been trying to break into for ten 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, humor, and love gave me a special sense of belief in myself I’d never accessed before.

“Every moment together felt charged with a presence I’ve rarely seen or known. Probably because, yes, he seemed to live in an altered world, one that I feel beyond lucky to have been a small part of. And David invited all to glimpse into that world through his exquisite storytelling, which elevated cinema and inspired generations of filmmakers across the globe.

“I just cannot believe that he’s gone. I’m in pieces but forever grateful for our friendship.

I’m yelling from the bullhorn: Godspeed, Buddy Dave! Thank you for your everything. 
—Buttercup xox”

Francis Ford Coppola says he’s ‘heartbroken’ by death of Lynch

Thursday 16 January 2025 23:37 , Kevin Perry
(Copyright 2024. The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The Godfather and Megalopolis director Francis Ford Coppola has posted a brief statement to Instagram, writing: “I am astounded and heartbroken I can’t express with any words the profound loss of the great David Lynch my friend.”

Russell Brand says Lynch’s death marks end of an epoch

00:35 , Kevin Perry
Lynch with Russell Brand in 2013 (Getty Images)

Russell Brand, who knew David Lynch through his work on transcendental meditation, posted a tribute to Lynch on Instagram:

“I knew David Lynch a little. Based on his work as an artist, I don’t know how anyone could claim to know him well, beyond blood relatives and his wife. Maybe wives. Movies are “public dreams” and no filmmaker wove dreams like Lynch. His name became an adjective and synonym for “dreamlike” or surreal. As the fires devoured the city that defined him he was dying. Lynchian.

“I asked him once in LA ‘Why do you like it here?’‘The light.’ He said.

“He wouldn’t put out the incessant cigarettes he smoked on his glazed concrete floors but just let them drop and burn out - ‘it marks them’ he said. I’m not suggesting the whole city went ablaze as a result of his negligence but I reckon that Lynch’s death as a coda on those dreadful conflagrations helps us see them as epochal and epoch ending; the Hollywood of Lynch is gone. Lynch is gone. Trump is in office now and that very American ‘Jimmy Stewart from Mars’ yet somehow ‘French’ true auteur of Outpost Drive is dead as the embers smolder.

“Everything was art to him. I saw stalls he’d made, they were amazing. A lamp that blew my mind. Mad cartoons, demonic and full of droogish violence and toddler-carnality. I asked him what he thought enlightenment was and he drew me a picture. Seriously. He drew a picture of consciousness and how ideas emerge from some ulterior field of oneness. He enjoyed and accepted decay. Our mutual friend Bob Roth who runs his T M (transcendental meditation) foundation said ‘David is equally intrigued by every chapter of life. He’d be fascinated by a baby rabbit, an adult rabbit, a dead rabbit, a rabbit’s decomposing corpse.’ He had an overview of life, an under-view of life, he was a True Artist.

“He said to me ‘If you fail while living by your principles as an artist you die once, if you fail while living by someone else’s you die twice.’ David Lynch only died once.”

Edgar Wright recalls surprise meeting with Lynch

00:48 , Kevin Perry
Edgar Wright, pictured in September 2022 (Getty Images)

Shaun of the Dead and Last Night in Soho director Edgar Wright recalled meeting Lynch at a screening of Wild at Heart.

On Instagram, Wright wrote: “What can be said about David Lynch that hasn’t already been captured in countless tributes by fans and filmmakers? A director of singular vision, defined by his magical style and fascinating ambiguities. Though his work is one of a kind, he has inspired many to pick up a camera. While my work may not seem particularly ‘Lynchian,’ his influence always looms large. One transition in Blue Velvet — Frank Booth disappearing from frame before a wild nighttime trip with yellow road markings whizzing by — buzzes in my brain forever.

“In 2011, I had a glorious encounter with the man himself. At the time, I was programming films at the New Beverly Cinema for a season called ‘The Wright Stuff,’ curating dream double bills and arranging guest discussions. One night, we screened Wild at Heart and True Romance. I had already convinced the late producer Steve Golin to join for the first film, and, through a mutual friend, invited Laura Dern too. She agreed but warned she might not make it, as she was coming straight from an event.

“Steve and I introduced the film and waited to see if Laura would arrive. As the credits rolled, my publicist Greg Longstreet tapped me on the shoulder: ‘Laura’s coming,’ he said. Relieved, I got onstage for the Q&A. As the curtain to the backstage rustled, I announced to the unsuspecting audience: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Laura Dern!’ The audience erupted as she walked through the curtain.

“Thrilled, I said, ‘This is a great surprise. I wasn’t sure you’d make it!’ Laura smiled and replied, ‘Well, I have a surprise for you. I brought someone else who worked on the movie.’ Then, stepping through the curtain, was David Lynch.

“The resulting standing ovation felt endless, as if the Wizard of Oz himself had materialized. The only downside? I wasn’t ready to interview David F***ing Lynch.

“I stumbled through my first question, but he was kind and gracious. While he avoided explaining the film (rightly so), he spoke generously about film and the preservation of cinema . His presence was otherworldly, yet down-to-earth.

“That memory of him stepping through the curtain will stay with me forever. David may be gone, but his work will be eternal.”

David Lynch: Obituary

01:00 , Kevin Perry

Unlike his films, and very much like his life, Lynch’s legacy is uncontroversial and unambiguous: he will, quite simply, be remembered as one of the greatest directors of all time.

Read The Independent’s obituary in full here:

David Lynch, Twin Peaks and Elephant Man director, dies aged 78

Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan calls Lynch ‘a true artist'

02:06 , Kevin Perry
Billy Corgan performing with The Smashing Pumpkins in Baltimore in 2007 (Evan Agostini/Getty Images for Virgin Mobile USA)

In 1997, The Smashing Pumpkins contributed the song “Eye” to the soundtrack of Lynch’s film Lost Highway.

Frontman Billy Corgan, who Lynch once called a “magical musician”, shared a statement about the late director on social media, writing: “Truly saddened to hear of the passing of David Lynch. 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.”

Patton Oswalt jokes about Lynch’s surreal style

03:07 , Kevin Perry

Comedian and actor Patton Oswalt joked about Lynch’s surreal style in his tribute, writing on social media: “David Lynch, RIP. At least that’s what the horse wearing a fez just told me* in a dream. (*Backwards and in Swedish)”

Ron Howard praises Lynch’s ‘radical experimentation'

04:08 , Kevin Perry
Ron Howard in Beverly Hills in November 2022 (Getty Images)

Oscar-winning director and Happy Days star Ron Howard paid tribute to Lynch on social media, writing: “#RIPDavidLynch, a gracious man and fearless artist who followed his heart & soul and proved that radical experimentation could yield unforgettable cinema.”

Harmony Korine calls Lynch ‘truly a GOAT'

05:09 , Kevin Perry
(Getty Images)

Spring Breakers and The Beach Bum director Harmony Korine says Lynch was “a Mount Rushmore-level director.”

In a statement to IndieWire, Korine said: “David Lynch was one of our great artists, a Mount Rushmore-level director, truly a GOAT. He changed a lot of people’s lives. There will never be another one like him, because he made films at a point in history where nothing like that had ever been experienced before.

“We live in a time where everything has been seen. Lynch invented a new language. He was a once in a generation talent who absorbed the embers of America’s wildness. He embraced his own inner logic and filtered it through a subconscious magic. He created worlds and unmatched vibrations. He hit on things that were inexplicable and sacred and beyond articulation. He is a treasure. His work will live forever.”

Lara Flynn Boyle calls Lynch ‘the true Willy Wonka of filmmaking'

05:40 , Kevin Perry
(Getty Images)

Lara Flynn Boyle, who played Donna Hayward in Twin Peaks, remembered Lynch in a statement to Deadline: “There goes the true Willy Wonka of filmmaking. I feel like I got the golden ticket getting a chance to work with him. He will be greatly missed.”

Steven Spielberg calls Lynch a ‘singular, visionary dreamer'

06:10 , Kevin Perry
(AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)

Steven Spielberg, who cast Lynch as John Ford in his autobiographical film The Fabelmans, has remembered the director as one of his heroes.

In a statement to Variety, Spielberg said: “I loved David’s films. Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive and Elephant Man defined him as a singular, visionary dreamer who directed films that felt handmade.

“I got to know David when he played John Ford in The Fabelmans. Here was one of my heroes—David Lynch playing one of my heroes. It was surreal and seemed like a scene out of one of David’s own movies. The world is going to miss such an original and unique voice. His films have already stood the test of time and they always will.”

Judd Apatow says Lynch had a ‘unique soul'

06:45 , Kevin Perry
(Getty Images)

The 40-Year-Old Virgin and This Is 40 director Judd Apatow has posted a tribute to Lynch on Instagram, writing: “Just a few months ago Michael Bonfiglio and myself got to interview David Lynch at his home for our documentary about Mel Brooks. He was kind and hilarious and full of life. I took a ton of photos of him during the interview. Every one captures his joy and unique soul.

“His work was magnificent. It stays with you forever. His efforts to spread transcendental meditation through his foundation changed the lives of countless people including mine. His book about creativity, Catching The Big Fish, is a game changer. He was a true gift to us all!”

Caroline Polachek says Lynch is the ‘greatest artist of our lifetime'

07:11 , Kevin Perry
(Getty Images for The Recording A)

Musician Caroline Polachek wrote in a statement on Instagram: “David Lynch is the greatest artist of our lifetime.

“We’re so lucky to have his perspective on contemporary life, to counter (and provide the subtitles below) all the literal, logical, and linear thinking we’re fed - and to approach the ineffabilities of time and emotion with his sophistication, style and soulful curiousity.

“My heart is broken that he is gone, and that his final gestures didn’t just feel final, but were.

“RIP and thank you to a true visionary.”

Russell Brand says Lynch’s death marks end of an epoch

07:25 , Kevin Perry
Lynch with Russell Brand in 2013 (Getty Images)

Russell Brand, who knew David Lynch through his work on transcendental meditation, posted a tribute to Lynch on Instagram:

“I knew David Lynch a little. Based on his work as an artist, I don’t know how anyone could claim to know him well, beyond blood relatives and his wife. Maybe wives. Movies are “public dreams” and no filmmaker wove dreams like Lynch. His name became an adjective and synonym for “dreamlike” or surreal. As the fires devoured the city that defined him he was dying. Lynchian.

“I asked him once in LA ‘Why do you like it here?’‘The light.’ He said.

“He wouldn’t put out the incessant cigarettes he smoked on his glazed concrete floors but just let them drop and burn out - ‘it marks them’ he said. I’m not suggesting the whole city went ablaze as a result of his negligence but I reckon that Lynch’s death as a coda on those dreadful conflagrations helps us see them as epochal and epoch ending; the Hollywood of Lynch is gone. Lynch is gone. Trump is in office now and that very American ‘Jimmy Stewart from Mars’ yet somehow ‘French’ true auteur of Outpost Drive is dead as the embers smolder.

“Everything was art to him. I saw stalls he’d made, they were amazing. A lamp that blew my mind. Mad cartoons, demonic and full of droogish violence and toddler-carnality. I asked him what he thought enlightenment was and he drew me a picture. Seriously. He drew a picture of consciousness and how ideas emerge from some ulterior field of oneness. He enjoyed and accepted decay. Our mutual friend Bob Roth who runs his T M (transcendental meditation) foundation said ‘David is equally intrigued by every chapter of life. He’d be fascinated by a baby rabbit, an adult rabbit, a dead rabbit, a rabbit’s decomposing corpse.’ He had an overview of life, an under-view of life, he was a True Artist.

“He said to me ‘If you fail while living by your principles as an artist you die once, if you fail while living by someone else’s you die twice.’ David Lynch only died once.”

Nicolas Cage says: ‘I never had more fun on a film set than working with David Lynch'

07:40 , Kevin Perry
(2024 Invision)

Nicolas Cage, who starred in Lynch’s Wild at Heart in 1990, told Deadline that the director “was a singular genius in cinema, one of the greatest artists of this or any time.”

“He was brave, brilliant, and a maverick with a joyful sense of humor,” Cage continued. “I never had more fun on a film set than working with David Lynch. He will always be solid gold.”

Kyle MacLachlan says he was ‘forever changed’ by Lynch in heartfelt message

07:59 , Kevin Perry
David Lynch and Kyle MacLachlan at a ‘Twin Peaks’ premiere in 2017 (Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Kyle MacLachlan, a frequent collaborator of Lynch who starred in Dune and Twin Peaks, posted a heartfelt statement about the late director on Instagram.

“Forty-two years ago, for reasons beyond my comprehension, David Lynch plucked me out of obscurity to star in his first and last big budget movie,” wrote MacLachlan.

“He clearly saw something in me that even I didn’t recognize. 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. He was in touch with something the rest of us wish we could get to.

“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.

“David was in tune with the universe and his own imagination on a level that seemed to be the best version of human. He was not interested in answers because he understood that questions are the drive that make us who we are. They are our breath.

“While the world has lost a remarkable artist, I’ve lost a dear friend who imagined a future for me and allowed me to travel in worlds I could never have conceived on my own.

“I can see him now, standing up to greet me in his backyard, with a warm smile and big hug and that Great Plains honk of a voice. We’d talk coffee, the joy of the unexpected, the beauty of the world, and laugh.

“His love for me and mine for him came out of the cosmic fate of two people who saw the best things about themselves in each other.

“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.

“David, I remain forever changed, and forever your Kale. Thank you for everything.”

Naomi Watts says she feels lucky to have been a part of Lynch’s ‘altered world'

08:31 , Kevin Perry
Lynch with ‘Mulholland Drive’ stars Laura Elena Harring and Naomi Watts in 2002 (AP2002)

In a moving statement posted to Instagram, Mulholland Drive star Naomi Watts said: “My heart is broken. My Buddy Dave… The world will not be the same without him. His creative mentorship was truly powerful. He put me on the map. The world I’d been trying to break into for ten 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, humor, and love gave me a special sense of belief in myself I’d never accessed before.

“Every moment together felt charged with a presence I’ve rarely seen or known. Probably because, yes, he seemed to live in an altered world, one that I feel beyond lucky to have been a small part of. And David invited all to glimpse into that world through his exquisite storytelling, which elevated cinema and inspired generations of filmmakers across the globe.

“I just cannot believe that he’s gone. I’m in pieces but forever grateful for our friendship.

I’m yelling from the bullhorn: Godspeed, Buddy Dave! Thank you for your everything. 
—Buttercup xox”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.