Martin Scorsese pays tribute to David Lynch: “It’s a sad, sad day”
Director Martin Scorsese has paid tribute to his fellow filmmaker David Lynch, who died on January 16th aged 78.
The world of cinema has united in mourning following Lynch’s passing. Many figures, such as Naomi Watts, Kyle MacLachlan, and Isabella Rossellini, whom Lynch gave big breaks to in their respective careers, have paid tribute to the Twin Peaks creator. Furthermore, accomplished directors such as James Gunn and Steven Spielberg have also honoured Lynch with moving eulogies.
Now, in a statement, Scorsese has shared: “I hear and read the word ‘visionary’ a lot these days—it’s become a kind of catch-all description, another piece of promotional language. But David Lynch really was a visionary—in fact, the word could have been invented to describe the man and the films, the series, the images and the sounds he left behind.”
Praising Lynch’s unique, pioneering and experimental filmmaking style, Scorsese continued: “He created forms that seemed like they were right on the edge of falling apart but somehow never did. He put images on the screen unlike anything that I or anybody else had ever seen—he made everything strange, uncanny, revelatory and new. And he was absolutely uncompromising, from start to finish.”
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Scorsese concluded his tribute by epitomising the thoughts racing through the minds of the entire cinematic community following Lynch’s passing, adding, “It’s a sad, sad day for moviemakers, movie lovers, and for the art of cinema. But Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, the two Twin Peaks series and the film Fire Walk with Me, Lost Highway, The Straight Story, Mulholland Drive, Inland Empire… as the years and the decades go by, they will just keep growing and deepening. We were lucky to have had David Lynch.”
Lynch’s cause of death is yet to be revealed. The director was diagnosed with emphysema in 2020, a respiratory disease that largely left him homebound and made it difficult for Lynch to walk any substantial distance without becoming out of breath.
In a recent interview with People in November, Lynch reflected on how the disease has affected him. “I have a positive attitude focused on the body healing itself,” the Mulholland Drive director said, “It’s tough living with emphysema. I can hardly walk across a room. It’s like you’re walking around with a plastic bag around your head.”
Although his health condition was caused by his heavy smoking habits, which he stopped in 2022, Lynch said of his addiction to cigarettes last year: “I don’t regret it. It was important to me. I wish what every addict wishes for: that what we love is good for us.”
Announcing his passing, Lynch’s family poignantly shared on social media: “It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and the artist, David Lynch. 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.’ It’s a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way.”
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