David Lynch is one of the most prolific — and certainly singular — American directors of the last 50 years, and his death was met Thursday with innumerable tributes and memories from collaborators like Kyle MacLachlan ("Twin Peaks"),

Numerous leaders in entertainment, celebrities, and former collaborators have mourned the death of revolutionary filmmaker David Lynch.

With such hallucinogenic masterworks as 'Eraserhead,' 'Blue Velvet,' 'Mulholland Drive,' 'Twin Peaks' and 'The Elephant Man,' he often left more questions than answers.

Nicolas Cage, Naomi Watts and Patricia Arquette are among the stars to pay tribute to the late David Lynch.

Mulholland Drive star Watts said Lynch "put me on the map" with her 2001 break-out film about the dark side of Hollywood, which earned him the award for Best Director at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival alongside an Oscar nod. "My heart is broken. My Buddy Dave… The world will not be the same without him," Watts wrote on Instagram.

Laying bare American life's hidden horrors and absurdities, the auteur behind 'Mulholland Drive' and 'Twin Peaks' held up a distorted but unsettlingly truthful mirror.

The filmmaker, writer and artist was Oscar-nominated for his films Blue Velvet, The Elephant Man and Mulholland Drive

"My heart is broken. My Buddy Dave..." wrote 'Mulholland Drive' star Naomi Watts on Instagram about the demise of filmmaker David Lynch, reported Deadline. Lynch revealed in 2024 that he was diagnosed with emphysema after a lifetime of smoking and would likely not be able to leave his house to direct any longer.

“My heart is broken. My Buddy Dave…” began Mulholland Drive star Naomi Watts on Instagram about the death of that movie’s filmmaker David Lynch. “The world will not be the same without him. His creative mentorship was truly powerful,” she wrote.

David Lynch 's masterpiece Mulholland Drive is available to stream for free for UK fans. It comes amid the sad news that the legendary director has died aged 78, with his family confirming his passing in a statement yesterday (January 16).

David Lynch, who died Thursday at age 78, was remembered by his many collaborators, as well as those he inspired, such as "Donnie Darko" director Richard Kelly.