Director and writer David Lynch, known for his surreal work across film and television, has passed away at the age of 78.
Announcing his death on Facebook yesterday, Lynch’s family wrote: “It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and the artist, David Lynch. We would appreciate some privacy at this time. 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.”
While Lynch is best known for his work on TV series such as Twin Peaks and films like Mulholland Drive, the creator is also a memorable part of PlayStation’s history, responsible for several iconic PS2 adverts which arrived with that unmistakable Lynchian brand of surrealism and shades of neo-noir.
The most famous of these adverts is the brilliantly bonkers black-and-white affair known as Welcome To The Third Space. Kicking off with a wailing siren, a voice asks through a speaker: “Where are we?” A man walks through a corridor, his head detaches from his body, it reattaches, an arm comes out from his mouth.
“Welcome to the third place,” quacks a suited duck.
The iconic trailer was shared by PlayStation Australia in the early hours of this morning. “RIP David Lynch,” PlayStation AU wrote. You can experience the trailer once again in the video above.
Posting on social media last night, Remedy boss and Alan Wake writer Sam Lake shared his sadness at Lynch’s passing. “David Lynch has been a huge inspiration to me and a huge influence on my work,” he wrote. “Rest in peace.”
In a separate post, Lake revealed that Remedy’s Alan Wake 2 team had used the code name “Big Fish” for its surreal sequel, a nod to Lynch’s autobiography and self-help guide Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity.
“I think David Lynch is swimming with the big fish now,” Lake shared with an image of the book. “His influence goes far and wide and will live on.”
Fallout actor Kyle Maclachlan also shared some words about the director, who he said “plucked [him] out of obscurity”. Maclachlan worked with Lynch on a number of projects, including Twin Peaks.
“He clearly saw something in me that even I didn’t recognise. I owe my entire career, and life really, to his vision,” Maclachlan wrote. “I will miss him more than the limits of my language can tell and my heart can bear. My world is that much fuller because I knew him and that much emptier now that he’s gone.
“David, I remain forever changed, and forever your Kale. Thank you for everything.”
fbq('init', '560747571485047');
fbq('track', 'PageView'); window.facebookPixelsDone = true;
window.dispatchEvent(new Event('BrockmanFacebookPixelsEnabled')); }
window.addEventListener('BrockmanTargetingCookiesAllowed', appendFacebookPixels);