David Lynch recently opened up about his lifelong smoking addiction, revealing that even after being diagnosed with emphysema, it took him two more years to quit. The director of Mulholland Drive shared with People that when he received his emphysema diagnosis in 2020, he saw a message that said, “You’re going to die in a week if you don’t stop.” Despite this warning, he struggled to give up smoking, a habit he had cherished for years.
Lynch explained his deep love for smoking, describing how he enjoyed the taste and smell of tobacco and how it was integral to his identity as both a painter and filmmaker. He began smoking at age 8, and it became so ingrained in his life that it also appeared in his films, with many of his characters being smokers. However, he emphasized that he didn’t intend to glamorize the habit—it was just a reflection of real life.
The impact of smoking caught up with Lynch, and his condition worsened to the point where he needed supplemental oxygen to move around. “I could hardly move without gasping for air,” he said, noting that quitting smoking became his only option. He described emphysema as “tough” to live with, comparing it to walking around with a plastic bag over his head.
Although his illness complicates his work, Lynch has no plans to retire. He stated that he would continue directing, even considering doing so remotely due to his increased vulnerability to respiratory illnesses.
