Visionary film director David Lynch – behind hits such as Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive – has died at the age of 78, his family has said.
A post shared on the filmmaker’s Facebook page reads: “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.”
Referencing Lynch’s advice for budding creatives, the statement continues: “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 doughnut and not on the hole’.”
“It’s a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way,” it concludes, in a nod to weather reports the director posted on YouTube.
Lynch’s death comes just days before his 79th birthday. The cause has not been shared, but Lynch had spoken publicly about his battle with emphysema.
Image: Isabella Rossellini in Blue Velvet. Pic: De Laurentiis/Kobal/Shutterstock
Hollywood pays tribute to its ‘brilliant maverick’
A number of famous faces have paid tribute to Lynch, including Twins Peaks star Kyle MacLachlan.
Alongside an Instagram carousel showing pictures of himself and Lynch through the years, the actor wrote: “I always found him to be the most authentically alive person I’d ever met.
“David was in tune with the universe and his own imagination on a level that seemed to be the best version of human.
“While the world has lost a remarkable artist, I’ve lost a dear friend who imagined a future for me and allowed me to travel in worlds I could never have conceived on my own.”
Image: David Lynch with Twin Peaks star Kyle MacLachlan, who played special agent Dale Cooper. Pic: AP
Nicolas Cage, who starred in Lynch’s 1990 road trip movie Wild At Heart, said in a statement: “David was a singular genius in cinema, one of the greatest artists of this or any time.
“He was brave, brilliant, and a maverick with a joyful sense of humour. I never had more fun on a film set than working with David Lynch. He will always be solid gold.”
In a statement issued to Variety, Steven Spielberg recalled casting Lynch in his semi-autobiographical 2022 film, The Fabelmans.
“I got to know David when he played John Ford in The Fabelmans,” he said.
“Here was one of my heroes – David Lynch – playing one of my heroes. It was surreal and seemed like a scene out of one of David’s own movies.
“The world is going to miss such an original and unique voice. His films have already stood the test of time and they always will.”
Lynch began making short films in the late 1960s and his first feature-length movie – the surreal Eraserhead – was released in 1977.
His most notable projects include The Elephant Man, and neo-noirs Mulholland Drive and Blue Velvet – all of which earned him Oscar nominations. In 2019, he received an honorary Academy Award for his lifetime achievements.
Image: David Lynch accepting an honorary Oscar in 2019. Pic: Reuters
Lynch’s success extended to the small screen and Twin Peaks, co-created with writer Mark Frost, is considered a cult classic.
Set in the titular fictional town, the Emmy-winning series follows the investigation into the death of local teenager Laura Palmer.
Image: Sherilyn Fenn and Kyle MacLachlan in Twin Peaks. Pic: Everett/Shutterstock
The drama debuted in 1990 and ran for two seasons. A much-hyped revival, set 25 years after the original, aired in 2017.
In his later years, Lynch devoted himself to making short films, documentaries, albums and music videos, as well as painting and posting on his YouTube channel.
A federal court has paused aspects of a plan by Donald Trump to dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and put roughly 2,700 of its staff on leave.
District judge Carl Nichols, who was nominated by the US president during his first term, agreed with legal arguments from the largest government workers’ union and an association of foreign service workers.
They sued to stop Mr Trump’s administration attempting to close USAID, which distributes billions of dollars of humanitarian aid around the world.
Justice department official Brett Shumate told Judge Nichols that about 2,200 USAID employees would be put on paid leave under the administration’s plans.
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“The president has decided there is corruption and fraud at USAID,” said Mr Shumate.
It echoes comments President Trump made on Friday in a post on Truth Social accusing USAID – without evidence – of corruption and spending money fraudulently.
But Karla Gilbride, a lawyer for the unions, argued the plans were unlawful: “The major reduction in force, as well as the closure of offices, the forced relocation of these individuals were all done in excess of the executive’s authority in violation of the separation of powers.”
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Judge Nichols’s order, which is in effect until 14 February, blocks Mr Trump’s administration from implementing plans to place the 2,200 USAID workers on paid leave from Saturday.
It also reinstates some 500 employees who had already been furloughed.
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And there will be a ban on relocating USAID humanitarian workers stationed outside the US, after overseas staff were ordered to return home within 30 days.
Judge Nichols will consider a request for a longer-term pause at a hearing scheduled for next week.
But he rejected other requests from the unions to reopen USAID buildings and restore funding for agency grants and contracts.
Soon after being inaugurated, Mr Trump ordered all US foreign aid be paused to ensure it is aligned with his “America First” policy.
The dismantling of USAID has largely been overseen by Elon Musk, who is spearheading the president’s effort to cut costs and bureaucracy.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio insists the government will continue providing foreign aid, “but it is going to be foreign aid that makes sense and is aligned with our national interest”.
Judges have temporarily paused other controversial policies, including one offering financial incentives for federal workers to resign and another ending American citizenship for anyone born in the US if their parents are in the country illegally.
Twenty days into Donald Trump’s second term, US correspondents James Matthews and Mark Stone are joined by Washington DC cameramen Ed Young and Michael Herd to take a step back and discuss what it’s like covering the White House under President Trump compared to President Biden.
They also share some of the moments they got close (perhaps too close) to the most powerful man in the world.
A small plane which crashed in western Alaska with 10 people on board has been found and the US Coast Guard (USCG) says there were no survivors.
The Bering Air flight left Unalakleet at 2.38pm on Thursday but contact was lost less than an hour later, the firm’s operations director David Olson said.
On Saturday, in a post on X, the coastguard said: “USCG has ended its search for the missing plane after the aircraft was located approx 34 miles southeast of Nome. 3 individuals were found inside and reported to be deceased.
“The remaining 7 people are believed to be inside the aircraft but are currently inaccessible due to the condition of the plane. Our heartfelt condolences are with those affected by this tragic incident.”
The Cessna 208B Grand Caravan – carrying a pilot and nine adult passengers – was flying across Norton Sound when tracking site Flightradar24 reported it at 5,300ft before contact was lost.
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It was travelling from Unalakleet, a community of about 690 people in western Alaska, to Nome, a gold rush town just south of the Arctic Circle.
The flight time is normally just under an hour.
Mike Salerno, a spokesperson for the US Coast Guard, said rescuers were searching the aircraft’s last known location by helicopter when they spotted the wreckage. They lowered two rescue swimmers to investigate.
Image: The plane was heading to Nome, just south of the Arctic Circle. Pic: AP
In a post on Facebook, Nome’s fire department issued an update: “The Nome Search and Rescue Team is spooling up with assistance from the Alaska Air National Guard with recovery efforts.
“From reports we have received, the crash was not survivable. Our thoughts are with the families at this time.”
On Friday, Lieutenant Benjamin McIntyre-Coble, from the Alaskan coastguard, explained that the plane suffered a rapid loss of altitude and speed, according to radar data, but did not expand on the potential cause.
Weather in Unalakleet at take-off time was -8.3C (17F) with fog and light snow, according to the US National Weather Service.
Bering Air serves 32 villages in western Alaska and air travel is often the only option of travelling long distances in rural parts of the US state, especially in winter.