Both hailed and reviled, Blue Velvet was rejected by the Venice film festival. Lynch’s scarcely less controversial follow-up, Wild at Heart, starring Laura Dern and Nicolas Cage as a young couple on the run in the American southwest, won the Palme d’Or at the 1990 Cannes film festival.

A visionary, his films included “Eraserhead,” “Blue Velvet” and “Mulholland Drive.” He also brought his skewed view to the small screen with “Twin Peaks.”

David Lynch died at the age of 78, his family announced on Thursday, January 16. 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.