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The Entertainment Industry Pays Tribute to David Lynch

By Jen Maravegias | Celebrity | January 17, 2025 |

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Header Image Source: The David Lynch Foundation

Iconic filmmaker David Lynch died yesterday. Those of us on this mortal plane of existence only have his body of work to remember him by. But Lynch had many friends in Hollywood whom he had known for a long time over the course of his career. As a director, he famously had a family of actors and creatives he preferred to work with on projects. Many of them, like Jack Nance, Dean Stockwell, Frances Bay, Julee Cruise, and Angelo Badalamenti preceded the director in death.

But those friends who survived him are mourning a beloved friend and collaborator whose passing has left a larger-than-life hole in their hearts. Many took to social media to share their memories of Lynch.

Mädchen Amick, who played troubled waitress Shelly Johnson in Twin Peaks, posted this on Facebook:

Alicia Witt, who played young Alia Atreides in Dune took to Instagram:

Isabella Rossellini, whose breakout role was in Lynch’s 1986 cult classic Blue Velvet and was in a romantic relationship with Lynch until 1991 had a simple, devistating message to share:

Mel Brooks, who produced The Elephant Man in 1980 and fought to have Lynch direct posted his thoughts on Twitter.

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Ron Howard and Patton Oswalt also posted condolences:

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The folks behind The Criterion Collection, whose closet surely has an entire shelf dedicated to Lynch’s work, posted on Facebook.

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Martin Scorsese also shared his thoughts on losing his fellow director.

Martin Scorsese reflects on the loss of David Lynch:

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— Cinephilia & Beyond (@cinephiliabeyond.org) January 17, 2025 at 1:17 PM

R.E.M. frontman, Michael Stipe


Some actors were closer to Lynch than others. Some of them also chose to share their loss with fans. Nicholas Cage spoke to Deadline. Saying, in part, “I never had more fun on a film set than working with David Lynch.”

Patricia Arquette, who starred in Lost Highway, was doing a live interview for Severance when she found out about his death and it turned into a little David Lynch Love Fest.

Naomi Watts, one of Lynch’s muses, shared a beautiful tribute to him on Instagram:

Kyle MacLachlan, probably one of Lynch’s most prolific collaborators, shared his heartbreak across social media. None of his posts are embeddable, but here’s the link to his Instagram post. It’s a beautiful tribute to his long-time friend:

Forty-two years ago, for reasons beyond my comprehension, David Lynch plucked me out of obscurity to star in his first and last big budget movie. He clearly saw something in me that even I didn’t recognize. I owe my entire career, and life really, to his vision.

What I saw in him was an enigmatic and intuitive man with a creative ocean bursting forth inside of him. He was in touch with something the rest of us wish we could get to.

Our friendship blossomed on Blue Velvet and then Twin Peaks and I always found him to be the most authentically alive person I’d ever met.

David was in tune with the universe and his own imagination on a level that seemed to be the best version of human. He was not interested in answers because he understood that questions are the drive that make us who we are. They are our breath.

While the world has lost a remarkable artist, I’ve lost a dear friend who imagined a future for me and allowed me to travel in worlds I could never have conceived on my own.

I can see him now, standing up to greet me in his backyard, with a warm smile and big hug and that Great Plains honk of a voice. We’d talk coffee, the joy of the unexpected, the beauty of the world, and laugh.

His love for me and mine for him came out of the cosmic fate of two people who saw the best things about themselves in each other.

I will miss him more than the limits of my language can tell and my heart can bear. My world is that much fuller because I knew him and that much emptier now that he’s gone.

David, I remain forever changed, and forever your Kale. Thank you for everything.

Laura Dern, whose relationship with the director began when she was in her teens, hasn’t posted anything. And she doesn’t need to. But there is a W Magazine video piece with Dern, Watts, and Arquette speaking about working with Lynch from 2017 where her love for him and their relationship is clear.

I hope the Bob’s Big Boy in Heaven had coffee waiting for you, David.