Chest tightness, wheezing, coughing up phlegm — David Lynch, the iconic filmmaker behind “Twin Peaks” and “The Elephant Man,” has been diagnosed with a cureless lung disease that comes with serious breath shortening symptoms. But the auteur is not retiring and remains “filled with happiness.”
Sight & Sound magazine broke the news, revealing the filmmaker has emphysema — a lung-damaging disease that affects more than 3 million people in the United States, according to the American Lung Association.
“I’ve gotten emphysema from smoking for so long and so I’m homebound whether I like it or not,” Lynch told the magazine, as reported by the Independent.
“It would be very bad for me to get sick, even with a cold,” he added, saying he “can only walk a short distance before” he’s “out of oxygen.”
Lynch later took to the social platform X to elaborate, divulging he has no plans to retire.
“Yes, I have emphysema from my many years of smoking,” he posted. “I have to say that I enjoyed smoking very much, and I do love tobacco — the smell of it, lighting cigarettes on fire, smoking them — but there is a price to pay for this enjoyment, and the price for me is emphysema. I have now quit smoking for over two years. Recently I had many tests and the good news is that I am in excellent shape except for emphysema. I am filled with happiness, and I will never retire.”
According to the American Lung Association, emphysema is a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that causes damage to lung tissue and “tiny air sacs” found in the lungs. Over time, the air sacs break, making it more difficult for oxygen to enter the bloodstream. Supplemental oxygen is prescribed for the disease, though surgery is sometimes required to remove damaged tissue.
As both a chronic and progressive disease, emphysema gets worse over time.
“Not everyone with COPD has the same symptoms,” the association said. “At first, you may have no symptoms or mild symptoms. As your COPD gets worse, you may have more symptoms like a cough that may bring up sputum (mucus or phlegm) or shortness of breath.”
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