David Lynch Dead at 78

We lost a real one today. One of the all-time great American filmmakers, David Lynch is one of the few auteurs to create grand, experimental films that connected with mass audiences. His ability to tap into the 20th century psyche and project a fractured vision that commented on everything from the nature of violence, to the Wizard of Oz, and everything in between.

It’s honestly hard to put our thoughts to type, Lynch was simply that important. Lynch’s family announced his death on social media today and asked for privacy. No cause of death has been reported. Last year, Lynch said last year that he had been diagnosed with emphysema and that he could no longer leave the house to direct. Lynch was 78.

Born in Missoula, Montana, Lynch’s family was often on the move throughout his childhood. His father worked as a research scientist for the USDA, taking them to a number of different cities. He studied art at the School Of The Museum Of Fine Arts, Boston, where future J. Geils band leader Peter Wolf was his roommate. Lynch dropped out quickly and later moved to Philadelphia to study at the Pennsylvania Academy Of The Fine Arts.

During his time at PATFA, Lynch directed a series of disturbing short films that garnered the attention of the American Film Institute. After moving to California to study at their conservatory he started work on Eraserhead, his 1978 feature debut, a strange and nightmarish black-and-white vision of parenthood and drudgery.

It didn’t take long for Eraserhead to become a midnight movie cult hit that was both an inspiration for independent filmmakers and musicians (Lynch composed the score for Eraserhead himself out of a series of clanks, bangs, and hisses).