Illness and death In August 2024, Lynch revealed to Sight and Sound that he had been diagnosed with emphysema in 2020 after a lifetime of smoking and had become housebound due to health risks, which he surmised would likely prevent him from directing any new projects. Three months later, he told People that he had quit smoking in 2022, having first started when he was eight years old; he said he was reliant on supplemental oxygen for most daily activities and could "hardly walk across a room".
illness and death in august 2024 lynch revealed to sight and sound that he had been diagnosed with emphysema in 2020 after a lifetime of smoking and had become housebound due to health risks which he surmised would likely prevent him from directing any new projects three months later he told people that he had quit smoking in 2022 having first started when he was eight years old; he said he was reliant on supplemental oxygen for most daily activities and could "hardly walk across a room"