Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive writer-director David Lynch has revealed he is housebound with emphysema but insisted on social media on Monday: “I will never retire.”
The American director, 78, posted on X after his condition emerged in a story in The Independent quoting from a new interview in Sight & Sound.
Lynch told the outlet, “I’ve gotten emphysema from smoking for so long and so I’m homebound whether I like it or not. It would be very bad for me to get sick, even with a cold.”
He added that the lung disase had left him unable to walk for long and said he was unlikely to direct a feature again, adding: “I would do it remotely if it comes to it. I wouldn’t like that so much.”
Hours later Lynch, who broke out with his 1977 black and white body horror Eraserhead and has enjoyed international renown and a cult following ever since, qualified his comments on X.
“Yes, I have emphysema from my many years of smoking,” he posted. “I have to say that I enjoyed smoking very much, and I do love tobacco - the smell of it, lighting cigarettes on fire, smoking them - but there is a price to pay for this enjoyment, and the price for me is emphysema. “
Lynch continued, “I have now quit smoking for over two years. Recently I had many tests and the good news is that I am in excellent shape except for emphysema. I am filled with happiness, and I will never retire. I want you all to know that I really appreciate your concern.”
The filmmaker’s credits include The Elephant Man, Wild At Heart, Lost Highway, and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, the 1992 feature treatment of his famous series, as well as dozens of shorts and music videos.
His last feature Inland Empire came out in 2006. A planned Netflix series Unrecorded Night fell apart during the pandemic, and the streamer passed on his pitch for an animated feature called Snootworld.
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