Director and smoker David Lynch revealed that he started smoking at the age of eight and now needs oxygen even to walk short distances. In August, the “Twin Peaks” director was diagnosed with emphysema, a chronic lung condition that causes shortness of breath.

Emphysema is a form of chronic lung disease. It damages the small airways (alveoli) in the lungs and damages lung tissue, making breathing difficult. In a brief statement to X – at the time – he wrote: “I really enjoyed smoking, but there is a price for this pleasure, and the price for me is emphysema.”

In an interview with People magazine, Lynch revealed that he now requires supplemental oxygen for most activities: “I have trouble walking around a room. It’s like walking around with a plastic bag around your head. Quit smoking.”

The famous director admitted that smoking was a part of him. Even as smoking became part of his public image, captured in portraits and media interviews, he carried his love affair with tobacco onto the big screen with characters in “Twin Peaks” and movies like “Blue Velvet.” and “Mulholland Drive.”

Even after being diagnosed with emphysema in 2020, he didn’t kick the habit for another two years. “I saw the writing on the wall and it said, ‘You’ll be dead in a week if you don’t stop,'” Lynch said in his interview. “Resignation was my only option”he added. Finally, David Lynch admits that the price he paid for smoking is high, however he says he has no regrets, but wanted others to learn from his experience.