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 donut 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.

The director 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.

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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.

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.

Hollyoaks star Paul Danan has died at the age of 46.

He played bad boy Sol Patrick in the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

He later appeared on the celebrity versions of Love Island and Big Brother.

Announcing his death, Danan’s management said in a statement: “It is with heavy hearts that we share the tragic news of the passing of @pauldanan at just 46 years old.

“Known for his television presence, exceptional talent, and unwavering kindness, Paul was a beacon of light to so many.

“His untimely departure will leave irreplaceable voids in the lives of all who knew him.

“During this difficult time, we kindly request respect and privacy for Paul’s family, friends, and colleagues. No further comments will be made at this time.”

Danan’s last post on his official Instagram page was a short video audition for the Shakespeare play Twelfth Night, in which he was reading for the role of Orsino. He posted it one week ago, commenting on how “beautiful and exhilarating it is” to get stuck into new work.

DJ Fat Tony was one of the first to pay tribute, calling him “one of the sweetest men,” saying Danan’s death at such a young age “hurts so bad”.

The actor, who trained at Italia Conti drama school, regularly called for his return to Hollyoaks.

He later began the podcast The Morning After With Paul Danan, which lasted from 2019 until 2023.

Danan had appeared twice as a contestant on Celebrity Love Island in 2005 and 2006, but did not win either series.

In 2017, he took part in Channel 5’s Celebrity Big Brother, where he was evicted early. He said at the time he hoped the series would give him a “second chance” at his career.

He’d also appeared on shows including E4’s Celebrity Coach Trip, and Channel 4 sketch comedy programme The Kevin Bishop Show.

He also had a role on CBBC show The Queen’s Nose, playing Melody’s agent Max.

Danan had spoken openly about his issues with substance abuse and poor mental health, and told The Sun a relapse over lockdown had left him homeless.

He went on to set up a theatre company called Morning After Drama in Bristol, offering free workshops to vulnerable groups.

Danan had also planned to set up a linked charity, The Other Side Of Morning CIC to offer community projects around the country. He had shared news about the charity on TikTok in late December.

Danan leaves behind his nine-year old son, Deniro.

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Molly-Mae Hague has said her new fly-on-the-wall documentary will “answer a lot of questions” surrounding her recent break-up with Tommy Fury.

The couple, who met during the 2019 series of ITV2 reality show Love Island, announced they were going separate ways in August last year.

The split sparked rumours that Fury, 25, had cheated on Hague, also 25, which he later denied.

Speaking at the launch of the first three episodes of a new Amazon Prime documentary Molly-Mae: Behind It All, the influencer said she is “very honest” about the breakdown of her relationship with the boxer, which she said has been “incredibly hard”.

“It is real life,” Hague said. “Tommy and I have a baby together, and it’s a really hard thing that we have both gone through.”

The couple have faced scrutiny that the break-up may have been a publicity stunt, as it coincided with the launch of Hague’s clothing line, Maebe and Fury’s book, Lightning Can Strike Twice: My Life as a Fury.

They were then pictured celebrating New Year’s Eve together, leading to fans speculating if they had got back together.

When questioned on it, Hague said accusations their break-up was planned is the most “frustrating thing”.

“I wish it could have been a publicity stunt because it would have been a lot easier,” she said.

“Going through all of this with the turmoil of a break-up has been incredibly hard, to have those comments, and I do see the comments, I see all of them.”

She added: “Our relationship has always been in the public eye but to deal with this break-up with millions of eyes watching it is hard and it is complicated.

“The reason why I don’t comment on it or speak about it on my YouTube publicly is simply because we are both navigating it ourselves, we both are figuring it out as adults and parents.

“I really do think the documentary is going to answer a lot of questions and we do touch on [the New Year’s] situation. The last thing I want is any confusion, and I don’t want people to feel confused by things that are going on.

“When I agreed to do this documentary I agreed to do it fully, the highs, lows, good days and bad days it has all got to be in there.”

It comes as Fury told Men’s Health that the reason behind their break-up was because he had a “problem with alcohol”.

“I couldn’t be the partner that I wanted to be anymore,” he told the magazine, adding: “Cheating was never a thing. You can ask Molly this yourself. It was the drink, and the drink is not a good thing.”

‘I did struggle with motherhood’

The new documentary also gives viewers behind-the-scenes access to Hague figuring out how to juggle being a mother to one-year-old Bambi, who she shares with Fury, and launching a new business.

“It’s not a secret that I did struggle at the start of my motherhood journey,” Hague said.

“It’s been an ongoing struggle for me, but right now I am in such an incredible place with being a mum and motherhood is all I could have dreamed of.

“I really want to work on my fashion brand this year and focus on being a mum. I want to leave a lot of the things that happened last year in last year and focus on the positives.”

She added that ahead of the documentary coming out, she feels like she needs to get her “thick skin into play”.

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“These three episodes are what they are, and I hope [the public] enjoy them. The reason we did the series in two drops was because a lot of the things we touch on in the first three episodes are very current and ongoing, and it is real life and I really wanted to share the honesty with my audience and explain things to them.

“It just felt like the right thing to do.”

Molly-Mae: Behind It All episodes 1-3 launch exclusively on Prime Video on 17 January. The latter three episodes will drop in spring 2025.