DAVID LYNCH, THE trailblazing American director and artist who saw mainstream success while making the familiar strange and the unfamiliar terrifying, has died aged 78.

“It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and the artist, David Lynch,” a statement from Lynch’s family on social media said.

“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.’”

Lynch began making short films in the late 1960s. His first feature-length movie – the surreal Eraserhead – was released in 1977.

David Lynch was a four-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker, directing a series of highly-regarded feature films including behind Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive, Wild at Heart and The Elephant Man. 

He also took the Palme d’Or at Cannes for Wild at Heart in 1990, and was nominated for the prize three other times.

Lynch was also the creative force behin the Showtime drama Twin Peaks.

In August, Lynch revealed that he was diagnosed with emphysema, a lung disease, and attributed the condition to his longtime smoking habit.

He said the habit, which he started at eight years old, left him needing an oxygen tank to walk across the room after he stopped in 2022.

He shared he couldn’t leave the house due to fears of getting sick.

Lynch’s cause of death has not yet been revealed.