‘Twin Peaks,’ ‘Blue Velvet’ director David Lynch dies

“Twin Peaks” creator David Lynch has died at the age of 78 after being diagnosed with emphysema.

Lynch said last year he had developed the condition after a lifetime of smoking, Variety reported.

His family announced his death on Facebook, 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.’”

The statement did not list a location or cause of death.

The Associated Press called Lynch a “visionary filmmaker,” an artist-turned-filmmaker who created the “surreal ‘Eraserhead’” film in 1977. He also directed “Mulholland Drive,” “Blue Velvet” and “Twin Peaks.”

Variety said his projects “melded elements of horror, film noir, the whodunit and classical European surrealism.”

Mel Brooks’ production company hired Lynch to write and direct “The Elephant Man” which ended up having eight Oscar nominations, including Lynch’s first nomination for best director. It was released in 1980 and starred Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt and Anne Bancroft.

He also directed the original “Dune” which boasted a cast including Kyle MacLachlan, Patrick Steward, Sting, Dean Stockwell and Max von Sydow. Despite the casting, and the vision, “Dune” was considered a flop.

Variety said he “revolutionized” television with “Twin Peaks,” which followed the investigation of a school girl’s murder which then inspired a prequel film and a limited-run third season airing in 2017, 25 years after it went off the air.

His final project, a television series “Unrecorded Night” is in production with Lynch named director and creator, according to IMDB.

In 2005 he spoke about his projects and visions in the collection of interviews published as “Lynch On Lynch.”

“Well,” Lynch said, according to Variety, “imagine if you did find a book of riddles, and you could start unraveling them, but they were really complicated. Mysteries would become apparent and thrill you. We all find this book of riddles and it’s just what’s going on. And you can figure them out. The problem is, you figure them out inside yourself, and even if you told somebody, they wouldn’t believe you or understand it in the same way you do.”

Lynch was born in 1946 in Missoula, Montana. His father worked for the Department of Agriculture and eventually moved to Alexandria, Virginia. That’s where Lynch went to high school.

He went to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston for a year and eventually enrolled at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia, where he started working on movies, directing two animated shorts.

He moved to Los Angeles to study filmmaking at the American Film Institute’s Conservatory for Advanced Film Studies. That’s where he developed the film “Eraserhead” shot over five years.

Variety said Lynch was married four times and leaves behind four children.