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

Collaborators including Nicolas Cage and Lara Flynn Boyle have shared their thoughts on the director’s death

David Lynch gives a weather report

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'

[17 January 2025 08:31 · Kevin Perry]

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

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”