The famously weird filmmaker set his 1986 movie in Lumberton, with many modifications, and filmed in Wilmington during its film infancy.

Lynch spent time in Wilmington in the mid 1980s, when the director made one of his best-known and most notorious films.

David Lynch, the four-time Oscar-nominee behind ‘Blue Velvet,’ ‘Mulholland Drive’ and ‘The Elephant Man’ who also created TV's ‘Twin Peaks,’ has died at 78.

He was also an abstract painter, photographer and sculptor whose prints and constructions echoed the underlying discomfort that was constant in “Mulholland Drive” and “Blue Velvet.” Lynch’s enthusiasm for art seemingly knew no bounds.

Lynch, who was born in Montana in 1946, was a writer, director and painter who studied at the American Film Institute. He first broke into the movie scene in 1977 when he turned his thesis project into his first feature film "Eraserhead," a black-and-white surrealist indie film that quickly gained notoriety as a midnight movie.

LOS ANGELES - David Lynch, a famous filmmaker and artist, has died, according to a post published on his official Facebook account. He was 78 years old.

Following his death, revisit David Lynch's most iconic movies at home with this Blu-ray box set, featuring "Mulholland Drive, "Blue Velvet" and more.

David Lynch, the visionary director of surrealist films like "The Elephant Man," "Blue Velvet," and "Mulholland Drive," as well as the hit TV series "Twin Peaks," has died, his family announced on Thursday. He was 78. "There's a big hole in the world now ...

David Lynch, the creator of the television series "Twin Peaks" and the director of "Dune," passed away at the age of 78.

Oscar-nominated director David Lynch, best known for films such as “Blue Velvet” and “The Elephant Man” and the quirky television drama “Twin Peaks,” has died at age 78. His family announced his death on social media, saying “It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and the artist, David Lynch.”

David Lynch, the Oscar-nominated director of surrealistic films including "Eraserhead," "Blue Velvet" and "Mulholland Drive," and the co-creator of the cult drama series "Twin Peaks," has died, his family announced.

David Lynch, the Oscar-nominated filmmaker who brought surrealist storytelling to the mainstream via 'Twin Peaks' and 'Mulholland Drive,' has died. He was 78.