Former “Twin Peaks” star Madchen Amick has paid tribute to David Lynch following the legendary filmmaker’s death at age 78.
“It’s hard for me to find the words to express the loss of, yes, a masterful genius but more importantly, a simply wonderful guy,” Amick, 54, wrote via Instagram.
“David Lynch was my mentor. How lucky was I? He was also my dear friend. Always there for a random check-in or life-changing advice.”
The “Riverdale” actress added, “He was my north star. He watched me grow up. He watched me become a mother. He cheered me on when I stepped into the director’s chair. I will hold those long conversations we had in his home on the hill very close to my heart. We laughed. We cried. We stayed inspired. I will miss you David. And I’ll see you on the other side.”
She signed the message, “Your Madgekin.”
In 2020, Amick — who is best known for playing waitress Shelly Johnson on “Twin Peaks” — made her directorial debut on a Season 4 episode of “Riverdale.” She also co-starred in that show as Alice Cooper, Betty’s (Lilli Reinhart) mom.
“David [Lynch] actually sent me a really sweet email the night before my first day of directing. He said, ‘Just keep your eye on the doughnut, not the hole,’” she recalled to the Post at the time. “I had his message printed out on my monitor every day to remind me to stay focused and get what I want and have fun with it.”
Aside from “Twin Peaks,” Lynch was best known for writing and directing “Blue Velvet,” “Mulholland Drive,” “Wild at Heart” and “Lost Highway.”
He also got a Best Director Oscar nomination for 1980’s “The Elephant Man.”
His family revealed his passing via social media on Thursday.
“It is with deep regret that we, his family, announce the passing of the man and the artist, David Lynch. We would appreciate some privacy at this time,” the statement read.
“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. It’s a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way.”
The famed writer-director was diagnosed with emphysema, a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, in 2020.
In November, Lynch — who started smoking at age 8 but quit in 2022 — told People that he needed supplemental oxygen to do much of anything.
“What you sow is what you reap,” said Lynch. “You’re literally playing with fire. It can bite you. I took a chance, and I got bit.”
Lynch noted it was “tough living with emphysema.”
He added: “I can hardly walk across a room. It’s like you’re walking around with a plastic bag around your head.”
In August, Lynch told Sight and Sound magazine that he was homebound because “it would be very bad for me to get sick, even with a cold.”
It was reported last week that Lynch evacuated his LA home near Laurel Canyon Boulevard due to the deadly wildfires. At the time, his producer, Sabrina Sutherland, confirmed that he was safe.
In 1990, Lynch and Mark Frost created “Twin Peaks.” The series aired on ABC for two seasons before it was canceled. It spawned a movie prequel, 1992’s “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me,” that Lynch directed and co-wrote, and a 2017 revival series on Showtime called “Twin Peaks: The Return.”
Series star Kyle MacLachlan, 65, who worked with Lynch on that series as well as films like “Blue Velvet,” posted his own Instagram tribute shortly after news broke of Lynch’s death.
“Forty-two years ago, for reasons beyond my comprehension, David Lynch plucked me out of obscurity to star in his first and last big budget movie. He clearly saw something in me that even I didn’t recognize. I owe my entire career, and life really, to his vision,” the actor wrote.
Calling Lynch an “enigmatic and intuitive man with a creative ocean bursting forth inside of him,” MacLachlan shared that “he was in touch with something the rest of us wish we could get to.”
The “Fallout” actor said he always found Lynch “to be the most authentically alive person” he’d ever met.
“David was in tune with the universe and his own imagination on a level that seemed to be the best version of human. He was not interested in answers because he understood that questions are the drive that make us who we are. They are our breath,” he continued.
“While the world has lost a remarkable artist, I’ve lost a dear friend who imagined a future for me and allowed me to travel in worlds I could never have conceived on my own.”
