David Lynch Says He Will ‘Never Retire,’ Despite Emphysema Diagnosis

Despite announcing that he suffers from a chronic lung disease, filmmaker David Lynch has assured his fans that he has no plans to retire.

The 78-year-old screenwriter and director, whose credits include “Twin Peaks,” “The Elephant Man,” and “Blue Velvet,” told Sight and Sound, the British Film Institute’s (BFI) journal, that he had emphysema.

David Lynch Says He Will ‘Never Retire,’ Despite Emphysema Diagnosis

“I am homebound due to emphysema caused by smoking. And today, due of Covid, it would be quite dangerous for me to become ill, even with a cold,” he told the magazine, Reuters reported.

After the report was published, Lynch rushed to social media on Monday to reassure supporters that he had no plans to leave the film industry.

He addressed his followers as “ladies and gentlemen,” writing, “Yes, I have emphysema from my many years of smoking.

“I have to admit that I enjoyed smoking a lot, and I do like tobacco – the scent of it, lighting cigarettes on fire, smoking them – but there is a cost to this enjoyment, and the cost for me is emphysema.

“I have been smoke-free for more than two years. I recently had several tests, and the good news is that I am in fantastic health except for emphysema. I am happy, and I will never retire.”

He concluded by adding, “I really appreciate your concern,” and signed off, “Love, David.”

David Lynch Says He Will ‘Never Retire,’ Despite Emphysema Diagnosis

Emphysema, a lung illness classed as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), is caused by damage to the lungs’ air sacs, reducing the body’s ability to absorb oxygen from the air.

According to the American Lung Association, the illness affects more than 3 million people in the United States.

SOURCE | CNN