David Lynch Quotes About Deteriorating Health After Years of Smoking

Prolific director David Lynch has been candid about how decades of smoking led to a diagnosis of emphysema.

Lynch became famous for directing critically acclaimed films such as Eraserhead, the elephant man And Mulholland Walk. He built an even bigger fan base with the release of Twin Peaks in the early ’90s, which developed a cult following after its brief run on ABC and the release of the prequel feature film Twin Peaks: Walk Through Fire with Me.

Lynch returned to the world of Twin Peaks for the Showtime revival in 2017. Three years later, Lynch was diagnosed with emphysema.

“Smoking was something I absolutely loved, but in the end it bit me,” said Lynch, who started smoking when he was 8 years old. Sight and sound in August 2024. “That was part of the artistic life for me: tobacco and the smell of it, lighting things and smoking and coming back and sitting and smoking a cigarette and looking at your work, or thinking about things.

Emphysema is a chronic lung disease that causes shortness of breath and is known as a type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Lynch admitted that it took him another two years after his initial diagnosis before he was able to quit smoking for good.

“I saw the writing on the wall. and he was like, ‘You’re going to die in a week if you don’t stop,'” said Lynch, a father of four. People in November 2024. “I could barely move without gasping for air. Quitting was my only choice.

Lynch hoped his own experience would be a lesson for others, adding: “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.

Keep scrolling for Lynch’s most candid quotes about his deteriorating health:

Unable to leave the house

Lynch said Sight and sound he contracted the disease from “smoking for so long”, adding: “I’m housebound, whether I like it or not.” I can’t go out. And I can only walk a short distance before I run out of oxygen.

Take a break from work

Illness prevented Lynch from working on projects that required him to go out. Although he didn’t completely rule out directing, Lynch admitted the opportunities had to work around his inability to leave home.

“I like being among things and finding ideas there. But I would try to do it remotely, if necessary,” he shared with Sight and sound in August 2024 before referencing an animated project he pitched to Netflix called Snootmonde.

Daily need for oxygen

Lynch has to rely on supplemental oxygen for anything more serious than a walk across the room.

“At the back of every smoker’s mind is the fact that it’s healthy, so you’re literally playing with fire,” he explained to People in November 2024. “It can bite you. I took a chance and was bitten.

Lynch recalled “many, many times” his attempts over the years to quit smoking, saying, “But when it got tough, I’d have that first cigarette, and it was a one-way ticket to heaven.” Then you start smoking again.

Managing limits

Lynch joked that he “never really liked going out before,” so emphysema was a “good excuse” to stay home, as the illness makes him more vulnerable to other respiratory illnesses.

“I love being on set. I like being there, able to whisper to people,” he said. People on the consequences of smoking were a “high price” to pay. “I don’t regret it. It was important to me. I wish what every addict wishes: that what we love is good for us.

Lynch was asked if he regretted including cigarettes in his projects so often, to which he replied, “I never thought of it as glamorous.” It was part of life. Some characters are smokers, like in real life.