Although Lynch never returned to feature directing to give himself another shot at the elusive Academy Award, the Academy presented him with an honorary statuette in 2019. He also starred in Steven Spielberg’s 2022 semi-autobiographical film The Fable Man. , playing director John Ford.
By the end of his life, his creative pursuits became more diverse, from his initial passion for painting to music. Just last year he released Cellophane Memories, an album with Chrystabell. This is in addition to his previous work producing music videos for artists such as Moby and Nine Inch Nails.
Discussing his emphysema diagnosis last summer, he said he was in “great shape” and “will never retire.”
He added that the diagnosis was a “price” to pay for his smoking habit, although he does not regret the pleasure it brought him.
But after a few months, his condition worsened. In an interview with People magazine in November, Lynch said he needed oxygen to walk.
However, his ideas live on, as unique as the way he described their thinking.
Speaking to musician Patti Smith for BBC Newsnight in 2014, he said: “I get ideas in bits and pieces. It’s like having a puzzle in another room – all the pieces together.
“But in my room they just flip me piece by piece.”
