David Lynch is getting tributes from all over Hollywood

The director is one of the most important of the 21st century.

By Joe Allen Published January 16, 2025

David Lynch in The Fabelmans — Universal Pictures

The death of director David Lynch has led to an outpouring of gratitude from every corner of Hollywood. Lynch was one of the defining filmmakers of the 20th century, directing Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive and The Elephant Man among other films, and also co-creating the hugely influential Twin Peaks.

Following the news of his death at the age of 78, both his collaborators and his peers are remembering him both for his artistic accomplishments and for the ways he transformed Hollywood.

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“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,” Twin Peaks star and frequent Lynch collaborator Kyle MacLachlan wrote on Instagram.

“He was brave, brilliant, and a maverick with a joyful sense of humor,” Nicolas Cage, who worked with Lynch on Wild at Heart, added. “I never had more fun on a film set than working with David Lynch. He will always be solid gold.”

“I loved David’s films. ‘Blue Velvet,’ ‘Mulholland Drive’ and ‘Elephant Man’ defined him as a singular, visionary dreamer who directed films that felt handmade,” director Steven Spielberg said in a statement. “I got to know David when he played John Ford in ‘The Fabelmans.’ Here was one of my heroes—David Lynch playing one of my heroes. It was surreal and seemed like a scene out of one of David’s own movies. The world is going to miss such an original and unique voice. His films have already stood the test of time and they always will.”

Lynch was an indelible Hollywood presence and one of the defining filmmakers of his era. His avant-garde approach and earnest sentimentality resonated with a massive audience and transformed what could have been niche work into some of the most profound art ever made. As these tributes suggest, he will be missed.

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Joe Allen is a freelance culture writer based in upstate New York. His work has been published in The Washington Post, The…

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