Naomi Watts honours late film icon David Lynch

Naomi Watt paid a heartbreaking tribute to filmmaker David Lynch on Thursday.

Taking to Instagram, Watts shared a few words in honour of her longtime collaborator Lynch, who would have turned 79 on Monday.

“My heart is broken. My Buddy Dave… The world will not be the same without him. His creative mentorship was truly powerful,” the British-Australian actress captioned two photos of her and Lynch.

"He put me on the map," she added of her Mulholland Drive director as she reflected on their relationship on and off the screen.

"The world I’d been trying to break into for ten plus years, flunking auditions left and right. Finally, I sat in front of a curious man, beaming with light, speaking words from another era, making me laugh and feel at ease."

She continued, Lynch's "wisdom, humor, and love gave me a special sense of belief in myself I’d never accessed before," she added.

"David invited all to glimpse into that world through his exquisite storytelling, which elevated cinema and inspired generations of filmmakers across the globe. I just cannot believe that he's gone. I’m in pieces but forever grateful for our friendship."

This isn't the first time Watts has been grateful for her time with Lynch, with whom she's collaborated several times on projects like Inland Empire, Rabbits, and Twin Peaks.

On the 20th anniversary of her breakout film Mulholland Drive, Watts gave the dad-of-four a shoutout in 2021, saying, “This film changed my career. David Lynch changed my life. I'm forever grateful.”