David Lynch, 78, reveals he needs oxygen to walk after smoking since age 8

David Lynch has struggled with major health issues related to smoking for most of his life.

The 78-year-old director was diagnosed with emphysema, a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, in 2020.

Today he needs extra oxygen to walk around.

“A major part of my life has been smoking,” Lynch said in a new interview with People, while sharing that he started smoking at age 8 but quit two years ago.

“I loved the smell of tobacco, the taste of tobacco. I loved lighting cigarettes,” he added. “For me, it was part of being a painter and a filmmaker.”

The “Twin Peaks” creator, who now advises others to quit smoking, admitted how bad it was for his health.

“What you sow is what you reap,” he said.

Lynch continued: “At the back of every smoker’s mind is the fact that it’s healthy, so you’re literally playing with fire. It can bite you. I took a chance and was bitten.

The famous filmmaker explained that he tried to quit “many, many times, but when it got difficult, I would take the first cigarette, and it was a one-way ticket to heaven.” Then you start smoking again.

Lynch also said he never thought he was “glamorizing” smoking. “It was part of life. Some characters would be smokers, like in real life,” he explained.

But the Oscar winner finally quit smoking two years after being diagnosed with emphysema.

“I saw the writing on the wall. and he was like, ‘You’re going to die in a week if you don’t stop,'” the father of four said. “I could barely move without gasping for air. Quitting was my only choice.

Now, Lynch said he has “a positive attitude focused on healing the body itself.” However, he admitted that “living with emphysema is hard. I can barely walk across a room. It’s like you’re walking around with a plastic bag around your head.

Since his diagnosis, the director of “Mulholland Drive” has been forced to stay at home to avoid becoming seriously ill.

He said smoking for so long was a “high price to pay”, but added: “I don’t regret it. It was important to me. I wish what every addict wishes: that what we love is good for us.

As for his message to other smokers, Lynch said: “I really wanted to get this across: think about it. You can let go of those things that will ultimately kill you. I owe it to them – and to myself – to say this.

In August, Lynch told Sight and Sound magazine that he was housebound because “it would be very bad for me to get sick, even with a cold.”

He also said he would direct “remotely” if necessary.