Laura Dern and David Lynch talking together
(Laura Dern/Instagram)

Laura Dern shares a touching tribute to David Lynch on what would have been his birthday

David Lynch, the visionary filmmaker behind The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks and more, passed away on January 15 at the age of 78, just shy of his 79th birthday. It was a huge loss to cinema, and multiple people came out to pay their respects.

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However, Laura Dern, one of Lynch’s closest collaborators, didn’t release a statement about his death until a few days after the fact. She posted her tribute on January 21, the day Lynch would have turned 79. It was a simple statement, but heartfelt. “Happy birthday, tidbit,” she wrote alongside a picture of her and Lynch chatting. “I will love and miss you every day for the rest of my life.”

“Tidbit” was Lynch’s nickname for Dern. He was known for giving his friends nicknames, and the public has come to know them over the years. Kyle MacLachlan, for example, was named “Kale” after a mispronunciation that Lynch found amusing. Patricia Arquette, who starred in Lynch’s Lost Highway, was “Solid Gold.” Naomi Watts was “Buttercup.” As for Lynch himself, he liked to go by, “Buddy Dave.”

Dern appeared in four Lynch productions overall. First came Blue Velvet in 1986, which Dern gave up her place in college to do. The film was criticized on release for its sexual violence, but went on to become one of the most valued movies of its era. Then came 1990’s Wild at Heart, where Dern appeared alongside Nicolas Cage. (Cage’s Lynchian nickname, in case you’re wondering, is “Nicster.”)

After that, Dern starred in 2006’s Inland Empire, which would sadly end up being the last full-length film directed by Lynch. But she also appeared in the fourth season of the revived Twin Peaks in 2017, cementing her status as one of Lynch’s muses.

The whole film industry has keenly felt the loss of Lynch, but his family took a peaceful, optimistic view of things when announcing his death. “There’s a big hole in the world now that he’s no longer with us. But, as he would say, ‘Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole,'” they wrote. “It’s a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way.”


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Sarah Barrett
Sarah Barrett (she/her) is a freelance writer with The Mary Sue who has been working in journalism since 2014. She loves to write about movies, even the bad ones. (Especially the bad ones.) The Raimi Spider-Man trilogy and the Star Wars prequels changed her life in many interesting ways. She lives in one of the very, very few good parts of England.