The two worked together on numerous projects over the years. Credit: Courtesy Photo / Chrystabelle

Filmmaker David Lynch passed away Thursday, Jan. 16, leaving behind a legacy as an auteur of singular vision. In tribute to her longtime collaborator, San Antonio synth-pop chanteuse Chrystabell shared a touching Facebook post as dream-like as his body of work.

In her Thursday tribute post, Chrystabell took comfort in a cardinal that visited her in her time of grief. She also shared a poignant photo her iPhone had randomly highlighted that morning, featuring her in profile with a ghost-like Lynch.

“I join you in the depths of this grief, in love and in reverence and celebration of someone who is singular and irreplaceable,” the singer said.

David Lynch died at age 78 after a battle with emphysema as a longtime smoker.

His family announced his passing on Facebook, writing: “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.”

The filmmaker is known for surrealist works such as “Mulholland Drive,” “Eraserhead,” “Blue Velvet,” “Wild at Heart” and “Lost Highway.” He is also remembered for the ’90s nouveaux-noir TV show “Twin Peaks.”

Chrystabell and Lynch have worked together on numerous projects since being introduced in 1998, originally collaborating musically. Chrystabell contributed original songs to the soundtrack for Lynch’s film Inland Empire in 2007.

Chrystabell Songstress and longtime David Lynch collaborator Chrystabell has roots right here in the Alamo CIty — she was born in San Antonio and went to Alamo Heights High School. Though her work with the enigmatic filmmaker originally began in the music sphere, she made her screen debut as FBI Agent Tammy Preston in the hotly anticipated 2017 return of Lynch’s iconic TV series Twin Peaks. In early 2022, she released the album Midnight Star on Love Conquered Records. Credit: Showtime

Spanning art forms in their collaborative relationship, Lynch also wrote and produced Chrystabell’s debut album “This Train” in 2011. The two collaborated again on her 2017 EP “Somewhere in the Nowhere.” Chrystabell also appeared as Special Agent Tammy Preston in the 2017 reboot of “Twin Peaks.”

“Dune” and “Twin Peaks” leading man Kyle MacLachlan was among the other collaborators who also shared touching tributes to the late filmmaker.

“I will miss him more than the limits of my language can tell and my heart can bear,” MacLachlan’s Instagram tribute post read. “The world has lost a remarkable artist.”

Subscribe to SA Current newsletters.

Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter| Or sign up for our RSS Feed

Related Stories

This article appears in Jan 8-21, 2025.

Stephanie Koithan is the Digital Content Editor of the San Antonio Current. In her role, she writes about politics, music, art, culture and food. Send her a tip at skoithan@sacurrent.com.