David Lynch Was Married Several Times and Divorced Shortly Before His Death

Filmmaker and acting legend David Lynch was an extraordinarily prolific professional in his line of work. He produced some of Hollywood's most famous movies, including Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive, Wild at Heart, the original Dune, and many others. He also created hit series such as Twin Peaks, and appeared either as a central role or guest star in films like Stephen Spielberg's The Fabelmans, and series such as The Cleveland Show, and Robot Chicken.

In his personal life, David was charming and charismatic, which may have been part of why it was so easy to convince people to give him money to create films. He was also charming with the ladies, marrying four times before his death in 2025. Here's what we know about his marriages.

David married first wife, Peggy Lentz, in 1968. They divorced a few years later, in 1974. This was when David's career was just starting to take off, and he was focusing mostly on short films.

Next, David married Mary Fisk in 1977. They stayed together for almost exactly a decade, calling it quits in 1987. By this point, David's career was well on an upward trajectory.

The legendary filmmaker didn't marry again until 2006 when he tied the knot with Mary Sweeney. But they had a brief romance and called it quits officially in 2007.

In 2009, he married Emily Stofle, who would end up being his last spouse. By this time, his career was roaring, his films had become classics and cult classics, and Twin Peaks had already become a cultural phenomenon. David and Emily were married from 2009 until 2024, the year prior to David's passing.

David's relationships produced four children between them, although his career was always at the center of his focus. In a 2015 QAGOMA interview with David Stratton, Stratton quoted an article to David Lynch. He read to the filmmaker, "If Lynch will be remembered for one great contribution to cinema, it's the way he's been able to bring a sense of linger, unresolvable mystery back into movies and television. To re-embrace the subconscious" (excerpt via YouTube).

To which the ever-self-deprecating David Lynch replied, "Hm. Pretty beautiful."

But of course David's legacy isn't only the films and series that he brought to life through his oft-macabre creative vision. It's also in the people he loved, the people who loved him, and the children he left behind.