Steven Spielberg, Nicolas Cage, Kyle McLachlan among colleagues and friends to pay tribute David Lynch after his death
Steven Spielberg, Nicolas Cage, and Kyle MacLachlan are among the prominent figures paying tribute to David Lynch, whose death was announced Thursday.
“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,” Spielberg said in a statement. “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.”
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Cage, who starred in Lynch’s Wild at Heart, called Lynch “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. I never had more fun on a film set than working with David Lynch. He will always be solid gold.”
Longtime Lynch collaborator MacLachlan, who starred in Lynch’s Dune and Twin Peaks, shared on Instagram, “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.”
The director’s death was announced by his family via Facebook on Thursday, Jan. 16: “It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and the artist, David Lynch. We would appreciate some privacy at this time. 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,'” their statement read. “It’s a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way.”
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Several other notable filmmakers eulogized Lynch. James Gunn, director of the upcoming Superman and co-chairman and co-CEO of DC Studios, wrote, “You inspired so many of us.”
Oscar winner Ron Howard shared on X that Lynch was “a gracious man and fearless artist who followed his heart & soul and proved that radical experimentation could yield unforgettable cinema.”
I Saw the TV Glow director Jane Schoenbrun commented, “He was the first to show me another world, a beautiful one of love and danger I sensed but had never seen outside sleep. Thank you David your gift will reverberate for the rest of my life.”
Steven Soderbergh told the Associated Press that Lynch “was one of those filmmakers who was influential but impossible to imitate. People would try but he had one kind of algorithm that worked for him and you attempted to recreate it at your peril.”
Other celebrities also weighed in.
Actor-director John Carroll Lynch (no relation) posted, “These two are definitely smiling at each other wherever they are,” over a photo of Lynch with collaborator Harry Dean Stanton, who died in 2017. The three worked together on the 2017 film Lucky.
Ringo Starr posted, “God bless David Lynch, peace and love to all his family peace and love.”
Questlove wrote on Threads, “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”
Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, who worked with Lynch on Lost Highway, wrote on Instagram, “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.”
Author John Scalzi posted, “There was no other director like him, and it’s kind of a miracle that he was able to do all the wild, weird and strange work that he did, for as long as he did, and mostly with studio money.”
The American Film Institute posted on Instagram, “David’s impact on cinema proved indelible in his films and his art. He always gave back to AFI, supporting the storytellers who wrote their own rules and reached for something different.”
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