Accomplished singer, songwriter, and actress Julee Cruise has died at the age of 65. A popular musician in her own right, Cruise is especially well-known for her collaborations with Twin Peaks creator David Lynch.
As shared in The Guardian, Cruise's husband Edward Grinnan confirmed the news of his wife's death via Facebook. In his post, Grinnan said, "She left this realm on her own terms. No regrets. She is at peace." He went on to disclose that Cruise's favorite B-52s song, "Roam" played as she passed. "Rest in peace, my love,” he said.
Cruise's first collaboration with Lynch was for his 1986 film, Blue Velvet. Composer Angelo Badalamenti wrote the music to a song called "Mysteries of Love" with Lynch providing the lyrics. The two needed a singer with a haunting voice and chose Cruise. Featured during the closing scenes of Blue Velvet, the song would eventually gain a strong cult following.
Badalamenti, Lynch, and Cruise would go on to write several songs together, with many appearing on her 1989 full-length album, Floating into the Night. The song "Falling" appeared on this album and an instrumental version eventually became the theme song for one of Lynch's most popular projects, the TV series Twin Peaks. The song would also win a Grammy at the 33rd Grammy Awards for Best Pop Instrumental. Additional songs by Cruise featured on the Twin Peaks soundtrack include "Into the Night" and "The Nightingale."
In addition to providing music for the series, Cruise also appeared as a character in Twin Peaks as well as its 2001 spin-off film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me and the series' third season called Twin Peaks: The Return, which premiered in 2017. Before Twin Peaks, Cruise appeared as a character in both Lynch's film Blue Velvet and his theater production, Industrial Symphony No 1.
In 2002, Cruise released her first album that didn't feature any songs written by Badalamenti and Lynch, called The Art of Being a Girl. The Art of Being a Girl is Cruise's third full-length album and her fourth album, My Secret Life, debuted many years later in 2011. During her career, Cruise collaborated with many popular musicians, including Moby, Delirium, and Hybrid. She also toured with the B-52s from 1992 to 1999 as a stand-in for Cindy Wilson.
Prior to her death, Cruise shared on Facebook in 2018 that she suffered from systemic lupus. Her legacy lives on through the amazing music and art she created.