Danny Elfman pays tribute to David Lynch in emotional post: “I’m still in complete shock”

Danny Elfman has paid tribute to David Lynch in an emotional social media post, following the filmmaker’s death at the age of 78 last week.

• READ MORE: David Lynch – 1946-2025: a true visionary who reinvented cinema

Film composer and former Oingo Boingo frontman Elfman shared a photo of Lynch on Instagram earlier today (January 21) – which would have been the day after Lynch’s 79th birthday – describing him as a “genius”.

After Lynch died on January 15, his family broke the news the following day, writing on his Facebook page: “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.

“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”.

For his part, Elfman wrote: “What can I possibly say? His passing to me is a monumental loss that’s hard for me to even put into words. I’m still in complete shock.

“My mind suddenly goes back to 1977 at a long since defunct film festival in LA called “Filmex” and my friend, Matthew Bright and myself had heard “through the grapevine” about a midnight premiere of a must-see underground film called Eraserhead. Of course we went. The house, as I recall, was decent, but not packed, but by the time the movie was over it was nearly empty as many people had left.

“But for my friend and myself, it was a revelation. It was riveting… amazing… how many adjectives can I use here… to describe my reaction to this wildly unique, visually stunning, scary, funny, completely original film. From that moment on I couldn’t wait to see what this crazy young director would come up with next. He did not disappoint.”

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A post shared by Danny Elfman (@dannyelfman)

Elfman said that he loved all of Lynch’s films, highlighting the “insane emotional and visual contrast between Elephant Man and the iconic and almost perfect Blue Velvet, which I’ve seen probably dozens of times.”

He brought up Lynch’s classic drama series Twin Peaks too, explaining that when touring with Oingo Boingo he’d always request that each new episode of the show be taped and sent to them on the road.

Among the other celebrities to have paid tribute to Lynch are Laura Dern, Steven Spielberg, Edgar Wright, James Gunn, Hugh Jackman, Billy Corgan, Questlove – see more tributes here.

Lynch’s fans, too, have been quick to pay tribute to him, with some holding a “worldwide group meditation.”

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