David Lynch's Cause of Death Revealed Weeks After Director Died at 78: Reports

Mar. 15, 2025

David Lynch.Photo:Michael Buckner/Variety/Penske Media via Getty

Michael Buckner/Variety/Penske Media via Getty

David Lynch’s cause of death has been revealed.

Nearly a month after the belovedTwin Peaksdirector died at the age of 78, a death certificate from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reveals that Lynch died from cardiac arrest due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, perThe IndependentandTMZ, which was the first to report the news.

A rep for Lynch did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for confirmation on Saturday, Feb. 8.

David Lynch attends a photocall during the 12th Rome Film Fest at Auditorium Parco Della Musica in November 2017.Stefania D’Alessandro/Getty

Stefania D’Alessandro/Getty

Lynch’s cause of death comes three weeks after the family of the filmmaker, who was known for his distinctive style described as “Lynchian,”announcedhis death in a social media statement on Jan. 16.

“It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and the artist, David Lynch. We would appreciate some privacy at this time,” the Facebook message read. “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,” the family added.

BeyondTwin Peaks, which premiered in 1990, the director was behind projects includingThe Elephant Man,Blue VelvetandMulholland Drive.Lynch was also an author of books including 2006’sCatching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativityand 2018’sRoom to Dream.

David Lynch poses for a photo in London in 1984.william karel/Sygma via Getty

william karel/Sygma via Getty

Several close collaborators and friends mourned Lynch on social media last month, includingTwin PeaksstarKyle MacLachlan, who referred to the director as a man who “plucked me out of obscurityto star in his first and last big-budget movie.” The pair worked together onDuneandBlue Velvet, as well.

“He clearly saw something in me that even I didn’t recognize. I owe my entire career, and life really, to his vision,” MacLachlan, 65, wrote. “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.”

MacLachlan then called Lynch “a dear friend who imagined a future for me and allowed me to travel in worlds I could never have conceived on my own,” before writing that he was “forever changed.”

“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,” he wrote.MacLachlan continued, “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.”

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Naomi Wattsalso paid tribute to Lynch in a Jan. 16 post on Instagram, calling the star her “buddy.” The pair previously teamed up for multiple projects, includingMulholland Drivein 2001.

“He put me on the map,” Watts, 56, wrote in her caption. “The world I’d been trying to break into for ten plus years, flunking auditions left and right. Finally, I sat in front of a curious man, beaming with light, speaking words from another era, making me laugh and feel at ease.”

“I just cannot believe that he’s gone,” she later concluded the post. “I’m in pieces but forever grateful for our friendship. I’m yelling from the bullhorn: Godspeed, Buddy Dave! Thank you for your everything.”

source: people.com