Laura Dern will "miss and love" David Lynch "for the rest of my life"

And following the tragic news of his passing on January 15, which came five days before his 79th birthday (20.01.25), Dern has marked the late director's heavenly birthday.

Using the nickname he affectionately gave her, she captioned a photograph of the pair on Instagram: "Happy birthday, tidbit.

"I will love and miss you every day for the rest of my life. (sic)"

The pair also worked together on 1990's 'Wild Heart', 2006's 'Inland Empire' and Lynch's 2017 revival of the surrealist mystery classic 'Twin Peaks'.

Lynch was Dern's biggest champion and even sat with a living cow outside Tower Records on Sunset Blvd to campaign for her to win an Oscar for her portrayal of Nikki Grace in 'Inland Empire'.

He told passersby: "I'm here to promote Laura Dern who I think you'll agree gave an incredible performance that's going to live.

"I think the Academy members love showbusiness - and this is the showbusiness approach."

The 'Mulholland Drive' director's family announced his passing on Facebook on January 16.

They wrote: "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. 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."

In 2020, Lynch was diagnosed with emphysema and noted in a post to X that he had "enjoyed smoking too much" in his earlier life.

Despite his diagnosis, it was another two years before Lynch felt able to kick the habit.

In 2024, he told People: "I saw the writing on the wall. and it said, 'You're going to die in a week if you don't stop. I could hardly move without gasping for air. "Quitting was my only choice."

At the time, he noted that he had developed a "positive attitude" towards things even though it had become nearly impossible for him to walk across a room.

He said: "I have a positive attitude focused on the body healing itself. It's tough living with emphysema. I can hardly walk across a room. It's like you're walking around with a plastic bag around your head."