REST IN PEACE

David Lynch’s Cause of Death Revealed

The four-time Oscar nominee passed away at his daughter’s home on Jan. 15, five days before his 79th birthday.

With the release of his death certificate on Friday, we now know David Lynch’s official cause of death, TMZ reports. The Eraserhead filmmaker’s immediate cause of death was cardiac arrest, with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) listed as an underlying condition. His death certificate also lists dehydration as a contributing factor. The director, a lifelong smoker, had previously been diagnosed with emphysema. In November he revealed that he couldn’t walk without oxygen and could barely leave his home. He died at his daughter’s home, where he had been staying during the horrific wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles last month. He died five days before his 79th birthday. Lynch’s death prompted an outpouring of goodwill and love from longtime collaborators like Kyle MacLachlan and Laura Dern, fellow directors like Steven Soderbergh, and fans, many of whom traveled to one of Lynch’s favorite haunts, Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank—where the Oscar nominee regularly enjoyed a damn fine cup of coffee—to pay their respects.