David Lynch, the surreal director of Mulholland Drive and television's Twin Peaks, who explored the darkness lurking beneath the wholesome surface of American life, has passed away. He was 78.

An enigmatic artist known for his work in arthouse and blockbuster films, television, painting, and music, Lynch is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs in U.S. cinema.

"It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and the artist, David Lynch," read a statement on his official Facebook page.

The cause and location of death were not specified. Lynch, who lived in Los Angeles, had suffered from emphysema after years of heavy smoking.

Lynch first gained attention on the U.S. indie film scene with his unsettling 1977 horror Eraserhead and later garnered acclaim and a cult following with the sadomasochistic mystery Blue Velvet (1986) and the surreal thriller Mulholland Drive (2001).

However, he is perhaps best remembered for his groundbreaking 1990s television series Twin Peaks, which helped shape the rise of prestige television dramas.

With four Oscar nominations, including three for best director, Lynch—recognizable by his shock of white hair—won just one honorary Academy Award in 2019.

'Fearless'

Tributes from across Hollywood poured in following news of Lynch's death.

Steven Spielberg called Lynch “a singular, visionary dreamer who directed films that felt handmade,” while Francis Ford Coppola said he was “astounded and heartbroken” by the “profound loss of the great David Lynch.”

Director Ron Howard praised him as “a gracious man and fearless artist” who “proved that radical experimentation could yield unforgettable cinema.”

Kyle MacLachlan, who starred in Twin Peaks and several Lynch films, described him as “an enigmatic and intuitive man with a creative ocean bursting forth inside of him.”

“I owe my entire career, and life really, to his vision,” MacLachlan wrote on Instagram.

Born in small-town Montana in 1946, Lynch was the son of an agricultural research scientist. He traveled extensively throughout Middle America as a young man.

He attended fine arts colleges in Boston and Philadelphia before enrolling at the American Film Institute, where he began working on Eraserhead.

Lynch's next major project was 1980’s The Elephant Man, a black-and-white film that, while deeply tragic, was more mainstream and accessible than his earlier work. The film earned Lynch his first Oscar nomination for best director.

Based on the diary of Joseph Merrick, the so-called "Elephant Man," who was born with a severely deformed physical appearance in 1862, the film starred Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt.

Lynch’s attempt to adapt Frank Herbert's sci-fi novel Dune in 1984 was less well-received, though it still maintains a loyal following.

Afterward, Lynch returned to his arthouse roots with Blue Velvet, a dark exploration of small-town life that follows a young man who uncovers the sinister side of his community after discovering a severed ear.

Starring Isabella Rossellini—whom Lynch dated for several years—Blue Velvet is often considered his greatest work and earned him a second Academy Award nomination for directing.

Following his Palme d'Or win at the Cannes Film Festival for Wild at Heart (1990), Lynch turned to television with Twin Peaks, which captivated and shocked viewers from its 1990 debut.

The series, set in a small northwestern town, centered around the rape and murder of a popular yet troubled high school girl, and was ahead of its time.

However, after its second season lost direction due to interference from ABC executives, ratings dropped, and the show was canceled. A darker 1992 prequel film was initially panned but is now regarded as a classic.

'Big Hole'

In 2001, Lynch made his second undisputed masterpiece, Mulholland Drive, which earned him a third best director Oscar nomination.

Naomi Watts starred as a naïve actress who meets a mysterious brunette suffering from amnesia. The film takes an astonishing twist, which still leaves audiences debating its meaning.

Film critic David Thomson called Mulholland Drive "one of the greatest films ever made about the cultural devastation caused by Hollywood."

Lynch’s final full-length feature film was 2006’s cryptic Inland Empire. He later returned to Twin Peaks with a critically acclaimed sequel series on Showtime in 2017.

Lynch never retired, continuing to create short films, music, and paintings, and maintaining his daily transcendental meditation practice at his studio and home, located just outside Hollywood on Mulholland Drive.

He frequently posted whimsical weather updates to YouTube, showcasing the optimistic and playful side of the man behind his often disturbing art.

"There's a big hole in the world now that he's no longer with us," said his family's statement.

"But, as he would say, 'Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole.'"