David Lynch, the Oscar-winning filmmaker who directed “Mulholland Drive” and co-created the TV series “Twin Peaks”, has died at age 76. 

A statement by Lynch’s family was posted to his Facebook page on Thursday and read: “It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and the artist, David Lynch. 

“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’.”

Lynch broke through in the 1970s with the surreal film “Eraserhead”. His notable releases ranged from the neo-noir “Mulholland Drive” to the skewed Gothic of “Blue Velvet” to the eclectic and eccentric “Twin Peaks.”

His other credits included the crime story “Wild at Heart”, which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and biographical drama “The Elephant Man”, as well as the G-rated “The Straight Story”. 

Actors who appeared regularly in his movies included Kyle McLachlan, Laura Dern, Naomi Watts and Richard Farnsworth.

Lynch was born in Missoula, Montana, and moved around often with his family as a child. 

He had an early gift for visual arts and a passion for travel and discovery that led to his enrolment in the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the beginning of a decade-long apprenticeship as a maker of short movies.

This is a breaking news story.