Forty-two years ago, for reasons beyond my comprehension, David Lynch plucked me out of obscurity to star in his first and last big budget movie. He clearly saw something in me that even I didn’t recognize. I owe my entire career, and life really, to his vision.

The family did not share a cause of death. Lynch revealed last year that he was suffering from emphysema and could not leave the house.Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.

David Lynch ‘s FBI agent Dale Cooper from Twin Peaks, Paul Atreides from Dune and Jeffrey Beaumont from Blue Velvet, Kyle MacLachlan, took to social media to express his sorrow over the loss of the filmmaker who made him a leading man across TV and film.