Julee Cruise, David Lynch Collaborator and ‘Twin Peaks’ Singer, Dead at 65
Samantha Bergeson
Singer and songwriter Julee Cruise, who contributed gorgeous and ethereal pop arias to the works of David Lynch, has died at the age of 65.
The frequent Lynch collaborator announced she was battling systemic lupus in 2018, writing on Facebook, “I can…hardly walk. And now it’s difficult to stand…The pain is so bad I cry and snap at people.”
Cruise’s husband Edward Grinnan confirmed Cruise’s death. “She left this realm on her own terms,” he penned on Facebook. “No regrets. She is at peace. I played her [B-52’s song] ‘Roam’ during her transition. Now she will roam forever. Rest in peace, my love.”
Cruise famously sang “Falling,” which was used as the theme song to Lynch’s “Twin Peaks.” The 1989 song featured music by Angelo Badalamenti and lyrics by Lynch, with the director using the instrumental version for the TV series.
Cruise appeared in the original “Twin Peaks” as a singer at local pub The Roadhouse; she reprised the turn in the 2017 Showtime revival “Twin Peaks: The Return.” Cruise additionally appeared in the prequel film “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.” Throughout her career, she released four albums as a soloist.
However, her collaborations with Lynch were not limited to “Twin Peaks.” She sang “Mysteries of Love,” which was used in Lynch’s 1986 film “Blue Velvet.”
Cruise likened Lynch to family, saying (via The Guardian), “It’s like I’m his little sister: you don’t like your older brother telling you what to do. David’s foppish. He can have these tantrums sometimes. And have you ever seen his temper? Anybody can look funny when they get mad. But I love him.”
Cruise is known for touring with The B-52s throughout the 1990s. Her album “The Voice of Love” in 1993 featured three songs from “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me,” and Cruise went on to release “The Art of Being a Girl” in 2002 and “My Secret Life” in 2011. She also covered Elvis Presley’s “Summer Kisses, Winter Tears” for the soundtrack to Wim Wenders’ “Until the End of the World.”
In 1990, Cruise performed “Falling” on “Saturday Night Live” after Sinéad O’Connor exited the episode ahead of the taping after learning of the night’s guest host, Andrew Dice Clay.
