'Twin Peaks' filmmaker David Lynch dies at age 78

Jan. 16 (UPI) -- David Lynch, the filmmaker known his work on Twin Peaks and Dune, has died.

His family announced his passing Thursday, days before his 79th birthday.

"It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and the artist, David Lynch," his family wrote on Facebook. "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,'" they added. "It's a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way."

In August, Lynch disclosed he had emphysema but said he had no intention to stop working.

"I have to say that I enjoyed smoking very much, and I do love tobacco," he said at the time. "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 is also well-known for his films Blue Velvet (1986), Mulholland Drive (2001), Eraserhead (1977), The Elephant Man (1980), Lost Highway (1997), Inland Empire (2006) and Wild at Heart (1990).

He and Mark Frost reunited to work on the Twin Peaks revival, which featured Lynch as Gordon Cole and was released on Showtime in 2017.

He and Mel Brooks were awarded Doctorate of Fine Arts degrees honoris causa by the American Film Institute in 2012.

In 2014, he put his own twist on the popular ALS Ice Bucket Challenge by playing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" on a trumpet before he was drenched in ice water, which also included an espresso shot.

And his Festival of Disruption benefited the David Lynch Foundation -- a non-profit organization that seeks to mitigate the impacts of trauma among those who have experienced violence.

"I started Transcendental Mediation in 1973 and have not missed a single meditation ever since," he wrote. "...But I had no idea how powerful and profound this technique could be until I saw firsthand how it was being practiced by veterans who suffer the living hell of post-traumatic stress and women and girls who are survivors of terrible violence."

Joe Russo, who, along with brother Anthony, directed Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and the upcoming The Electric State, shared a tribute on social media.

"No one saw the world like David Lynch," he said. "The world lost a master of cinema today."

James Gunn, the director behind the upcoming Superman film said Lynch "inspired so many of us."