Julee Cruise, the singer best known for her collaborations with filmmaker , has died aged 67.
Cruise – who announced she had been diagnosed with systemic lupus in 2018 – was known for 1989’s Falling, with the instrumental version, composed by Angelo Badalamenti, being used as the theme music for .
Her husband, Edward Grinnan, confirmed her death on Facebook, posting the message: ‘She left this realm on her own terms. 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’s vocal version of Falling, which featured lyrics written by Lynch, reached number seven in the UK, was a hit across Europe, and also topped the Australian singles chart.
Its fragile and otherworldly sound contributed to the dreamlike atmosphere of Twin Peaks.
‘Technically this music is so delicate that it’s a challenge just to sing it,’ Cruise previously told The Guardian.
‘But at the same time, it allows me to be more dramatic, more psychotic than if I were just singing “Oh, baby, baby” into the microphone. Certain things you can’t overact while you’re singing. This, I can overact and get away with it. I can stylise it.”
Born in Iowa in 1956, Cruise began working with Lynch in 1986 with his movie Blue Velvet starring and , featuring her Badalamenti collaboration Mysteries of Love.
Cruise also made a cameo in Twin Peaks, singing in the town’s bar, and featured in the show’s spin-off Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, and the third season of Twin Peaks The Return in 2017.
Describing her relationship with director Lynch, Cruise previously said: ‘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.’
