Filmmaker David Lynch, known for classics like “Twin Peaks,” “The Elephant Man,” and “Blue Velvet,” has confirmed that he has no plans to retire, even though he is suffering from a chronic lung disease.
The 78-year-old director told Sight and Sound, a magazine by the British Film Institute (BFI), that he has been diagnosed with emphysema due to long-term smoking.
“I’ve gotten emphysema from smoking for so long, and so I’m homebound whether I like it or not… And now, because of Covid, it would be very bad for me to get sick, even with a cold,” Lynch said, according to Reuters.
Following the interview, Lynch took to social media to reassure his fans.
Addressing them as “ladies and gentlemen,” he wrote: “Yes, I have emphysema from my many years of smoking. 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.”
He concluded his message with, “I really appreciate your concern. Love, David.”
Emphysema, a type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), is caused by damage to the air sacs in the lungs, which reduces the body’s ability to take in oxygen.
According to the American Lung Association, over 3 million people in the US are living with this condition.
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