With the announcement that the great David Lynch died on January 16, the world hasn’t just lost one of its greatest filmmakers: It’s lost one of its greatest artists, period. The work of a filmmaker whose sensibility was certainly not for the masses,

The loss of singular talent and visionary filmmaker David Lynch is not only felt in the world of cinema, but music, where he had inextricable influence on multiple generations of artists.

The filmmaker behind Twin Peaks, Mulholland Dr., and Blue Velvet, who died at 78, made the strange seem normal and the normal feel strange.

If you met him in person, David Lynch came across as a Midwestern pastor, all gee-whiz and aw-shucks. He was one of the few people who seemed wholly incapable of irony and, hearing him talk, you’d think the man must have enjoyed a pretty darn nice Montana childhood.

David Lynch, surrealist and visionary director of Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive, and Twin Peaks, has passed away at the age of 78.

David Lynch, the visionary filmmaker and artist who mined the strange and restless depths of the soul, has died. He was 78. His death was announced on social media on Thursday by his family, who did not provide a cause.

David Lynch, one of the most celebrated film directors, has passed away at the age of 78. Known for his unique ability to blend the odd with the appealing, Lynch left an indelible mark on the film industry,