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The Twin Peaks creator, David Lynch, has revealed he suffers from emphysema due to years of smoking and cannot leave his house because of the risk of COVID-19. Despite these challenges, Lynch has clarified that he is not retiring, although he is now too ill to direct films in person and would have to work on projects remotely.

In an interview with Sight and Sound magazine, Lynch shared, “I’ve gotten emphysema from smoking for so long, and so I’m homebound whether I like it or not. I can’t go out. And I can only walk a short distance before I’m out of oxygen.”

He continued, “Because of COVID, it would be very bad for me to get sick, even with a cold. So I would probably be directing from my home … I wouldn’t like that so much. I like to be amongst the thing and get ideas there. But I would try to do [a film] remotely, if it comes to it.”

After his comments elicited a strong response from fans, the 78-year-old issued a follow-up statement on X to assure everyone he would not stop working.

“I have now quit smoking for over two years,” he wrote. “Recently I had many tests and The good news is that I am in excellent shape except for emphysema. I am filled with happiness, and I will never retire. I want you all to know that I really appreciate your concern. Love, David.”

Lynch’s latest major work was the 18-episode TV series Twin Peaks: The Return, which aired on Showtime in 2017. His last feature film was Inland Empire, released in 2006. He has several unrealized projects, including a feature film script called Antelope Don’t Run No More, reportedly completed in 2010, and a rumored 13-part Netflix series titled Wisteria/Unrecorded Night, supposedly in development in 2020.

In The Sight and Sound interview, Lynch reflected on his complicated relationship with smoking, The cause of his health issues. “Smoking was something that I absolutely loved, but in the end, it bit me. It was part of The art life for me: The tobacco and the smell of it, and lighting things and smoking and going back and sitting back and having a smoke and looking at your work, or thinking about things; nothing like it in this world is so beautiful. Meanwhile, it’s killing me. So I had to quit.”