Director David Lynch Gives Health Update, Can No Longer Leave House

Legendary director David Lynch is giving an update on his health.

The Blue Velvet director and Twin Peaks creator says he’s been diagnosed with emphysema from many years of smoking and that he’s now housebound. He says he cannot leave his home over fears he’ll get Covid.

“I’ve gotten emphysema from smoking for so long and so I’m homebound whether I like it or not,” the 78-year-old Lynch told Sight & Sound (via The Independent). “It would be very bad for me to get sick, even with a cold.”

The director added he “can only walk a short distance before” running out of oxygen.

Lynch noted he’s unlikely to direct a film again, unless he could shoot a film remotely. “I would do it remotely if it comes to it,” he said. “I wouldn’t like that so much.”

But on Monday, the director added an update after reports (including this one) noted that the update means he’s likely retiring from directing, and he sought to reassure his concerned fans.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, Yes, I have emphysema from my many years of smoking,” he wrote. “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. 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 Showtime’s Twin Peaks: The Return in 2017. The revival of the groundbreaking ABC series was well received by critics and fans alike. The director’s last movie was 2006’s Inland Empire.

The director has also seen a renewed interest and appreciation for his notorious 1984 adaptation of Frank Herbert’s Dune thanks to the box office success of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune and Dune: Part Two.