David Lynch, the director behind Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet, died on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, after a short battle with emphysema. He was 78 years old.

Lynch was well known for his surrealistic signature style that mixed film noir, whodunit, and elements of horror, with odd characters and bizarre rules. His film, Blue Velvet, took viewers on a strange trip into the hidden, psychosexual side of a small town. He co-created Twin Peaks, a cult-favorite TV show about the mystery of a high school girl’s murder that uncovers plenty of weirdness during the investigation. The show was nominated for 14 Emmys during its first season.

Born on January 20, 1946 in Missoula, Montana, Lynch went on to study at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia. He spent years as a painter and short film creator, then he gained attention with the unsettling horror film Eraserhead in 1977.

He wrote and directed The Elephant Man, earning his first Academy Award nominations for Best Director and Best Screenplay. He directed the 1984 adaptation of Dune and was nominated for his third Oscar for Blue Velvet.

Lynch directed Wild at Heart, the Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me movie, Lost Highway, and The Straight Story. He helmed Mulholland Drive, earning his fourth Oscar nod, Inland Empire, and the Twin Peaks revival series in 2017. Throughout his career, Lynch wrote and directed dozens of short films and other short-length projects.

He wrote a book of collected interviews titled Lynch on Lynch, in which he discussed his work with writer Chris Rodley. In 2020, Lynch received an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement.