The passing of the revered director David Lynch was announced by his family on social media earlier this year (16 January). He was 78. Lynch, celebrated for films such as Mulholland Drive, Blue Velvet, and the iconic TV series Twin Peaks, disclosed last year that he had been diagnosed with emphysema, a condition caused by a lifetime of smoking. In November, he revealed that he required supplemental oxygen to walk.

There had been speculation that the Los Angeles wildfires had worsened his condition, with anonymous sources telling Deadline that his health deteriorated following an evacuation from his home along Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles.

Now, TMZ has reported that the Eraserhead director died from cardiac arrest, with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) listed as the underlying cause. A death certificate released by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health on Friday, 7 February, also cited dehydration as a significant contributing factor.

Following Lynch’s passing, his family shared the news the next day via his Facebook page, writing: “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.”

They later refuted social media claims about a private funeral service allegedly attended by Lynch’s close friends and collaborators, including Kyle MacLachlan and Laura Dern. “I have heard that people are flying in for this, and I feel it is so wrong for someone to post this kind of rubbish,” they wrote. “It’s hurtful. Please report whoever is spreading these lies.”

Tributes have poured in from across the entertainment industry. Legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg described Lynch as “an original and unique voice”, recalling their collaboration on The Fabelmans. Other tributes have come from Laura Dern, Nicolas Cage, Edgar Wright, James Gunn, Hugh Jackman, Billy Corgan, and Questlove, among many others.

Lynch’s devoted fans have also honoured his memory, with some organising a “worldwide group meditation” in his name, while figures in the gaming industry have acknowledged his influence on some of the most iconic video games in history.

In NME’s tribute to the late director, Mark Beaumont reflected on his unparalleled impact on cinema: “The very word ‘Lynchian’—denoting a kind of carnivalesque dark surrealism; sometimes fantastical, sometimes macabre, sometimes dreamlike, often eerily everyday—will forever pay tribute to the work of one of cinema’s greatest auteurs.”