Director David Lynch Reveals Emphysema Diagnosis, Pledges To ‘Never Retire’

Director David Lynch says he has emphysema, and despite the challenges the lung disease may present to his work in Hollywood, has no plans to retire in the wake of his diagnosis.

Lynch ― best known for films like “Blue Velvet” and “Mulholland Drive,” and the TV series “Twin Peaks” ― went public with his diagnosis in an interview with the U.K.’s Sight & Sound Magazine. He said he got emphysema from “smoking for so long,” and noted that he’s “homebound whether I like it or not. I can’t go out. And I can only walk a short distance before I’m out of oxygen.”

“Smoking was something that I absolutely loved, but in the end, it bit me,” he continued. “It was part of the art life for me: the tobacco and the smell of it, and lighting things and smoking and going back and sitting back and having a smoke and looking at your work, or thinking about things; nothing like it in this world is so beautiful. Meanwhile, it’s killing me.”

As for the possibility of directing another film, the 78-year-old appeared cautiously optimistic, telling the outlet: “I like to be amongst the things and get ideas there. But I would try to do it remotely, if it comes to it.”

On Monday, Lynch clarified some of his remarks with a short note on X, formerly Twitter.

“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.”

Lynch also noted that he quit smoking more than two years ago and is in “excellent shape except for emphysema.”

“I am filled with happiness, and I will never retire,” he continued. “I want you all to know that I really appreciate your concern.”

Lynch, a Montana native, experienced a professional resurgence in 2017 when he worked on the revival series “Twin Peaks: The Return.” His last film was the 2006 thriller “Inland Empire,” starring Laura Dern and Jeremy Irons.