David Lynch has passed away, as shared on his official Facebook page.
Born in 1946 in Missoula, Montana, David Keith Lynch moved frequently with his family during childhood, living in places like Idaho and Virginia. As a kid, he became an Eagle Scout. Later on, he studied painting at the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design in Washington, D.C., and then at Boston’s School of the Museum of Fine Arts.
In the late ’60s, Lynch shifted focus to filmmaking. He made a short film called Six Men Getting Sick (Six Times) while studying at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. After some more short films, he spent five years working on his first feature film Eraserhead, which came out in 1977. Most filming happened at Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills where Lynch lived while working with the American Film Institute. The movie was black-and-white and surreal with Jack Nance playing a dad to an alien-like baby; its eerie soundscape was created by Lynch along with Alan R. Splet.
Lynch’s next project was The Elephant Man in 1983 starring John Hurt as Joseph Merrick and Anthony Hopkins alongside him. This film did really well and got lots of nods from award shows like the Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director among others.
People sometimes wonder how someone so creative can keep surprising us!
Lynch then directed Dune, based on Frank Herbert’s sci-fi novel but it didn’t do great initially though now it has a cult following thanks to its unique style. Bouncing back strong after that hiccup was 1986’s Blue Velvet. Featuring actors like Kyle MacLachlan and Isabella Rossellini plus music by Angelo Badalamenti for their first collaboration together—it’s often hailed as one of his best works leading to another Oscar nomination for Best Director.
