Film director David Lynch dies at the age of 78, the family says

David Lynch, the writer-filmmaker whose works include Mulholland Drive and Twin Peaks, has died aged 78.

Lynch’s death was announced on his Facebook page by his family.

“There is a great hole in the world now that he is no longer with us,” the post read.

“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.”

Lynch received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director throughout his career for his work on Blue Velvet, The Elephant Man and Mulholland Drive.

His last major project was Twin Peaks: The Return, which aired in 2017, continuing the television series that ran for two seasons in the early 1990s.

Lynch revealed last August he was battling emphysema, a chronic lung disease, from “many years of smoking”.

The director said that despite the diagnosis he was in “excellent shape” and “never wanted to retire”.