David Lynch Suffers from Emphysema, No Longer Able to Direct in Person

07 August 2024

David Lynch has revealed that he suffers from emphysema and is no longer able to direct projects on location in person.

The 78-year-old filmmaker disclosed his health condition in a new interview with Sight & Sound magazine, revealing that he got emphysema from “smoking for so long, and so I’m homebound whether I like it or not. I can’t go out. And I can only walk a short distance before I’m out of oxygen.”

“Smoking was something that I absolutely loved, but in the end, it bit me. It was part of the art life for me: the tobacco and the smell of it, and lighting things and smoking and going back and sitting back and having a smoke and looking at your work, or thinking about things; nothing like it in this world is so beautiful,” Lynch remarked. “Meanwhile, it’s killing me. So I had to quit.”

Lynch also noted that “because of Covid, it would be very bad for me to get sick, even with a cold.” As a result, any future directorial projects would need to be done remotely from his home. Not the ideal situation by any stretch, as he himself admitted, but he’s not ruling out the possibility entirely. “I like to be amongst the things and get ideas there. But I would try to do it remotely, if it comes to it,” Lynch said.

Update: Following the publication of the interview, Lynch issued a statement clarifying that he has no intention to retire. “Yes, I have emphysema from my many years of smoking. 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 wrote. “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.”

Lynch’s last major project was Twin Peaks: The Return in 2017. He told Sight & Sound that he recently pitched an animated project to Netflix called Snootworld, but the streamer ultimately passed. He also expressed a hope to still make his unproduced 2010 screenplay Antelope Don’t Run No More.

Last week saw Lynch team up with Chrystabell for a new collaborative album called Cellophane Memories, which was accompanied by several music videos directed by Lynch.