julee cruise died

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

Julee Cruise, otherworldly crooner on 'Twin Peaks,' dies at 65

Lars Gotrich

In the '90s, Julee Cruise filled in for The B-52s member Cindy Wilson on tour. The singer is best known for her work with David Lynch on Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet . Ted Town/Toronto Star via Getty Images hide caption

In the '90s, Julee Cruise filled in for The B-52s member Cindy Wilson on tour. The singer is best known for her work with David Lynch on Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet .

Julee Cruise, the singer best known for her collaborations with director David Lynch and The B-52s , died Thursday. Her husband, author Edward Grinnan, confirmed to NPR that Cruise died by suicide, and had struggled with "lupus, depression and alcohol and drug addiction" in the past. She was 65.

"She left this realm on her own terms," Grinnan wrote of Cruise in a Facebook post Thursday evening. "No regrets. She is at peace. I played her [the B-52s song] Roam during her transition. Now she will roam forever. Rest In Peace, my love, and love to you all."

Born Dec. 1, 1956 in Creston, Iowa, Cruise was known for her unusual vocal presence, so intensely calm and collected that it could be unsettling — which found a receptive audience in Lynch and score composer Angelo Badalamenti . For the 1986 film Blue Velvet , the two were looking to mimic the effect of This Mortal Coil's version of "Song to the Siren" by Tim Buckley , whose rights proved too costly to clear. The result of their collaboration was the original track " Mysteries of Love ," in which Cruise's dreamlike vocals are set to a slow-moving fog of romantic synths and strings.

Inspired, the trio worked together again on Floating into the Night , Cruise's solo debut. Released in 1989, the album includes songs from Blue Velvet and others that would be featured in Lynch's concert film Industrial Symphony No. 1 and, most famously, the early '90s touchstone Twin Peaks .

An instrumental version of "Falling" was used as the theme song for the ABC television series, and onscreen, Cruise became a regular feature at The Roadhouse, a home for the show's bikers and crooners. She would return for the series' later incarnations, the feature film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me and the 2017 limited series Twin Peaks: The Return .

"In the ruckus of beers flying through the air at The Roadhouse, we have Julee singing a beautiful, slow-tempo song, and it's so outrageous," Badalamenti shared with the academic journal Series in 2016 . "You would never have that kind of song in a place like that. The songs with Julee serve a two-fold purpose: They contrast the visuals and they set the tone for the show."

Cruise worked again with Lynch and Badalamenti for her 1993 album The Voice of Love , but after that she wouldn't release music again until The Art of Being a Girl (2002) and My Secret Life (2011). Those post-millennium albums, she said, were something of a reaction to time spent in what she called a "boy's club."

"It's not really about David or Angelo," Cruise told Pitchfork in 2018 . "It's about how we're perceived as women and also how we love women. It's about how I watched my predecessors fight: Madonna , Kim Gordon , Kate Pierson — who is a god and a force to be reckoned with. We're not followers, we're front-runners. I came out of the womb with my fists."

In addition to singing, Cruise was also a Broadway actress, a pilot and a dog trainer. In the '90s, she filled in as a touring member of The B-52s while Cindy Wilson — another tough singer drawn to blurring the lines between kitsch and fine art — focused on raising a family. It was "the happiest time of her performing life," Grinnan writes in his post. "She will be forever grateful to them. When she first stepped up to the mic with Fred [Schneider] and Kate she said it was like joining the Beatles. She will love them always and never forget their travels together around the world."

At the end of that Pitchfork interview, Cruise mused about her late father and her family's cemetery plot in Minneapolis. "We have our own great graveyard there," she said, "but I'm not gonna get buried. I'm going to have my ashes mixed in with my dogs. They're gonna spread my ashes across Arizona, and Arizona is going to turn blue."

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (En Español: 1-888-628-9454; Deaf and Hard of Hearing: 1-800-799-4889) or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.

• Julee Cruise

Julee Cruise, Singer and Frequent David Lynch Collaborator, Dead at 65

By Emily Zemler

Emily Zemler

Singer Julee Cruise , whose haunting voice made her a favorite of filmmaker David Lynch , has died at 65.

The news was confirmed by her husband, Edward Grinnan on Facebook , per The Guardian . “She left this realm on her own terms. No regrets,” he wrote. “She is at peace.” Grinnan added, “I played her [B-52’s song] ‘Roam’ during her transition. Now she will roam forever. Rest in peace, my love.”

Grinnan later told NPR that Cruise died by suicide after struggling with “lupus, depression and alcohol and drug addiction”; in 2018 Cruise shared on her Facebook page that she was suffering from systemic lupus and was having difficulty walking and standing.

“Deeply saddened by the passing of Julee Cruise today,” actor Kyle MacLachlan, who starred in Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks , wrote on Twitter . “Her angelic voice transported us all to another dimension. Now, she’s floating among the angels. Sending love to her family, friends, and fans today.” David Lynch also paid tribute to the “ great singer, and a great human being .”

Born in Iowa in 1956, Cruise worked with Lynch on several occasions. Her best-known song was “Falling,” released as part of her 1989 debut album Floating Into the Night . The instrumental version of the track, written by Angelo Badalamenti, was used as the theme to Lynch’s iconic 1990 TV series, Twin Peaks . She also appeared as a character on the series, reappearing 2001 spin-off film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me and Twin Peaks: The Return ,  a long-awaited third season of the show that premiered in 2017.

Prior to Twin Peaks , Lynch first utilized Cruise’s music for his 1986 film Blue Velvet , which prominently features her Badalamenti collaboration, “Mysteries of Love.” In 1990, the singer appeared alongside Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern as a character named “The Dreamself of the Heartbroken Woman” in Lynch’s avant-garde theater production, Industrial Symphony No 1.

Cruise worked with other filmmakers, as well. In 1991, she covered Elvis Presley ’s “Summer Kisses, Winter Tears” for the soundtrack of Wim Wenders’ Until the End of the World . Her second album, The Voice of Love , was released in 1993. Her third album, The Art of Being a Girl , didn’t come out until 2002.

Besides her own music, Cruise also performed with other artists. She toured with The B-52’s as Cindy Wilson’s stand-in from 1992 to 1999, and performed with Bobby McFerrin’s improvisational vocal group Voicestra/CircleSong.

In 2004, Cruise provided vocals alongside Pharrell on Handsome Boy Modeling School’s song “Class System.” Cruise’s final album was 2011’s  My Secret Life , a collaboration with Deee-lite’s DJ Dmitry.

Editor’s picks

Every awful thing trump has promised to do in a second term, the 250 greatest guitarists of all time, the 500 greatest albums of all time, the 50 worst decisions in movie history.

In 2018, Cruise released Three Demos,  a collection of three recordings Cruise cut with Lynch and Badalamenti between recording the song “Mysteries of Love” for  Blue Velvet and her debut album. It included include early versions of “Floating,” “The World Spins,” and “Falling.”

Badalamenti recalled how Lynch impacted the success of Floating Into the Night in a 2014 interview with  Rolling Stone . “It was obviously a different sound,” he said of Cruise’s music. “When it came out, radio stations said they had no slots for it. Is it pop? Not really. Is it R&B? Certainly not. What is it? Even the more avant-garde stations found it unusual, so it was difficult getting airplay. But when ‘Falling’ came out as the main title theme of  Twin Peaks , that was a whole different story.”

In the same interview, Cruise noted she had heard her influence in the music that has come in the decades since with female singers. “They sing like sexy baby girls,” she said. “They all have their own personality.”

South by Southwest Expands to London

• Across the Pond
• By Charisma Madarang

50 Cent Sues Daphne Joy Over 'Defamatory' Rape Claim

• Courts and Crime
• By Nancy Dillon

Sierra Ferrell, Tyler Childers Lead 2024 Americana Honors & Awards Nominees

• Americana Honors
• By Joseph Hudak

Megan Thee Stallion Will Keep Hip-Hop Python Era Going With New Single 'Boa'

• Hip-Hop Python
• By Larisha Paul

Catfish and the Bottlemen Are Coming Back Stateside

• comeback tour
• By Maya Georgi

Most Popular

Victoria justice shot 'first ever sex scene' on day one of filming new movie and thought: 'really we're gonna schedule this for the first day', king charles’ latest appearance has body language experts predicting a 'problem' in future events, jerry seinfeld's 'unfrosted' divides critics: "one of decade's worst movies", ancient egyptian pyramids, sphinx close to public for tech billionaire's lavish wedding, you might also like, bollywood star kriti sanon on turning producer with netflix film, ‘crew’ success and playing a robot (exclusive), exclusive: brendan hoffman forms p180 firm with caastle’s christine hunsicker; invests in elyse walker, the best yoga mats for any practice, according to instructors, south by southwest to expand with sxsw london edition in june 2025, world’s 50 most valuable soccer clubs 2024 rankings.

Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Rolling Stone, LLC. All rights reserved.

Verify it's you

Please log in.

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Julee Cruise, Vocalist of ‘Twin Peaks’ Fame, Dies at 65

In projects for the director David Lynch, she brought an eerie, otherworldly style to “Falling” and other songs.

By Neil Genzlinger

Julee Cruise, a singer who brought a memorably ethereal voice to the projects of the director David Lynch — most famously “Falling,” whose instrumental version was the theme for Mr. Lynch’s cult-favorite television show, “Twin Peaks” — died on Thursday in Pittsfield, Mass. She was 65.

Her husband, Edward Grinnan, said the cause was suicide. He said she had struggled with depression as well as lupus.

Ms. Cruise was building a career off Broadway in the early 1980s when serendipity struck: She met the composer Angelo Badalamenti when they worked on a show together.

“I was in this country-and-western musical in the East Village,” she told The San Francisco Chronicle in 1990. “I was a chorus girl with a big skirt and a big wig, singing way too loud. Angelo was doing the music for the show, and we became friends.”

A few years later, Mr. Badalamenti was engaged by Mr. Lynch, who was still early in his career, as a vocal coach for Isabella Rossellini in the 1986 Lynch movie “Blue Velvet” and ended up writing the score for that film as well. Mr. Lynch and Mr. Badalamenti had written a song for the film that needed a vocalist.

“Angelo asked me to find someone to sing a song for the soundtrack called ‘Mysteries of Love,’ but he didn’t like any of the singers I recommended,” she told The Chronicle. “He wanted dreamy and romantic. I said, ‘Let me do it.’”

Ms. Cruise had always thought of herself as “a belter,” as she often put it (she had once played Janis Joplin in a musical revue called “Beehive”), but the voice she came up with for “Mysteries of Love” was something else entirely, enigmatic and wispy. It suited that and other Lynch-Badalamenti compositions perfectly. One writer called her style “angel-on-Quaaludes vocals.”

The three were soon collaborating on Ms. Cruise’s first album, “Floating Into the Night,” which featured songs by the two men, including “Mysteries of Love” and “Falling.” They also collaborated on a stage production called “Industrial Symphony No. 1,” performed at the New Music America festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in November 1989, with Ms. Cruise performing amid an elaborate set that included an old car.

“Often, Ms. Cruise floated far above the stage, like a prom-gowned, bleached-blond angel,” Jon Pareles wrote in his review in The New York Times. “At one point, her body plummeted to the floor and was packed into the car’s trunk by helmeted workmen; later, she re-emerged to face a video camera and sing ‘Tell your heart it’s me,’ as 10 chorus girls in gold lamé danced next to her image on television screens.”

National exposure came the following April when “Twin Peaks” premiered on ABC, with an instrumental version of “Falling” serving as its theme. Ms. Cruise appeared in the pilot and subsequent episodes as a roadhouse singer.

The show quickly became the talk of television, and in May 1990 it led to an appearance by Ms. Cruise on “Saturday Night Live.” She wasn’t in the original lineup, but the controversial comic Andrew Dice Clay (he called himself “the most vulgar, vicious comic ever to walk the face of the earth”) was the scheduled host, which led to protests from at least one cast member, Nora Dunn, who refused to appear in that episode, and caused the original musical guest, Sinead O’Connor, to drop out at the last minute.

Ms. Cruise was one of two acts summoned to replace her. Mr. Grinnan said in a telephone interview that Ms Cruise, who was still not well known, was working as a waitress at the time and had to skip out on her job. But, he noted, she didn’t call in sick.

“She said that she called in famous,” he said.

Though “Twin Peaks” brought Ms. Cruise wide exposure, Mr. Grinnan said she found a stint touring with the B-52’s in the 1990s to be particularly enjoyable. She replaced Cindy Wilson, an original member, when Ms. Wilson took a break from the band.

“It was probably the happiest performing of her life,” Mr. Grinnan said.

Julee Ann Cruise was born on Dec. 1, 1956, in Creston, Iowa, to Wilma and Dr. John Cruise. Her father was a dentist, and her mother was his office manager.

Ms. Cruise was something of a musical prodigy on the French horn, her husband said, and received a music degree in the instrument from Drake University in Iowa. He said she had applied the delicacy and phrasing of classical French horn to the voice she came up with for the Lynch projects.

But once she graduated, she thought that acting and singing would be more appealing than playing in an orchestra. She went to Minneapolis, a good city for theater, and spent several years performing with the Children’s Theater Company there before moving to New York in about 1983.

After “Twin Peaks,” Ms. Cruise made another album with Mr. Lynch and Mr. Badalamenti, “The Voice of Love” (1993). She also continued acting. Mr. Grinnan said it was her performance in an Off Broadway musical, “Return to the Forbidden Planet,” in 1991 that caught the attention of the B-52’s. Mel Gussow, reviewing that show for The Times, said she stood out.

“Only Julee Cruise invigorates the show with musical personality,” he wrote. “Well remembered for her singing on ‘Twin Peaks,’ she is spunky as well as amusing, although the script unwisely keeps her offstage for most of the first act.”

Ms. Cruise later toured with Bobby McFerrin and worked with electronic musicians like Marcus Schmickler. In 2003 she fulfilled a longtime goal of performing at the Public Theater in New York when she was cast in the musical “Radiant Baby,” about the graffiti artist Keith Haring.

It was a demanding assignment. As The Times wrote , she played “Andy Warhol, Haring’s mother, a demonic nurse and a critic who resembles Susan Sontag.”

Which of the roles was most difficult, a reporter asked?

“The costume changes,” she said. “I’m the oldest person in this cast.”

Ms. Cruise alternated between homes in Manhattan and the Berkshires. In addition to her husband, whom she married in 1988, she is survived by a sister, Kate Coen.

Ms. Cruise reprised her “Twin Peaks” role in “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me,” Mr. Lynch’s 1992 film, and, a quarter-century later, in an episode of Showtime’s reboot of the TV series. In an interview with The Los Angeles Times in 2017, she reflected on her long “Twin Peaks” ride.

“It was so much fun to be part of something that just went ba-boom!” she said. “You didn’t know it was going to do that. What a nice surprise life takes you on.”

Neil Genzlinger is a writer for the Obituaries desk. Previously he was a television, film and theater critic. More about Neil Genzlinger

Julee Cruise, Singer Who Worked With David Lynch on ‘Twin Peaks’ and ‘Blue Velvet,’ Dies at 65

Julee Cruise , whose gorgeous collaborations with David Lynch elevated projects such as “ Blue Velvet ” and “ Twin Peaks ,” has died at 65 years old. Her husband, Edward Grinnant, revealed the news on a B-52’s Facebook page, as first reported by The Guardian . Cruise was an occasional touring member of the band, acting as Cindy Wilson’s stand-in on stretches from 1992 to 1999.

“For those of you who go back I thought you might want to know that I said goodby to my wife, Julee Cruise, today,” he wrote. “She left this realm on her own terms. No regrets. She is at peace. Having had such a varied music career she often said that the time she spent as a B filling in for Cindy while she was having a family was the happiest time of her performing life. She will be forever grateful to them. When she first stepped up to the mic with Fred and Kate she said it was like joining the Beatles. She will love them always and never forget their travels together around the world. I played her Roam during her transition. Now she will roam forever. Rest In Peace, my love, and love to you all.”

Lynch posted a video statement on YouTube on Friday: “I just found out that the great Julee Cruise passed away,” he said, amid long pauses. “Very sad news. So it might be a good time to appreciate all the good music she made, and remember her as being a great musician, great singer and great human being. Julee Cruise!”

Popular on Variety

Cruise was best know for her collaborative work with Lynch. Her biggest hit was “Falling,” with music by “Twin Peaks” composer Angelo Badalamenti and lyrics by Lynch. An instrumental version of the song would become the indelible opening theme of “Peaks.” She also appeared on the show several times as a singer at the bar, and her music was included on the show and the soundtrack.

While Cruise’s name wasn’t as ubiquitous as the show’s central figure, Laura Palmer, her voice and enigmatic character on the show lent an eerie musical throughline to the beloved series.

As a recording artist, Cruise released four albums between 1989 and 2011. Her debut, “Floating Into the Night,” included “Falling,” which reached No. 11 on the U.S. Modern Rock chart in 1990.

That same year, Cruise performed the song on “Saturday Night Live,” filling in for Sinéad O’Connor, who backed out last minute in protest of the night’s guest host, Andrew Dice Clay.

Cruise returned to “Twin Peaks” in 2017 for the long-awaited third season of the series, which aired on Showtime (the original two seasons were on ABC). Her appearance included a performance of the song “The World Spins.”

The following year, she released an EP titled “Three Demos,” which features the original demo versions of her best-known work, “Falling,” “Floating” and “The World Spins.”

Cruise’s unique vocal stylings attracted a host of collaborators over the years, including DJ Dmitry and the bands Hybrid and Delerium. She can also be heard on Handsome Boy Modeling School’s song “Class System,” which was produced by Prince Paul and features Pharrell Williams.

Watch Cruise perform “Falling” live below:

More From Our Brands

Travis kelce joins ryan murphy’s horror series ‘grotesquerie’, how this aussie winery is creating pinot noir that rivals burgundy reds, world’s 50 most valuable soccer clubs 2024 rankings, the best loofahs and body scrubbers, according to dermatologists, good doctor first look: claire returns as a patient ahead of series finale, verify it's you, please log in.

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Julee Cruise obituary

Julee Cruise, who has taken her own life at the age of 65 after a long period of illness and depression, was famed for the spectral calmness of her voice, as demonstrated on the four solo albums she made between 1989 and 2011 and by her many collaborations with a variety of other artists.

She was launched into the spotlight through her partnership with the composer Angelo Badalamenti and the film director David Lynch, with whom she first worked on Lynch’s film Blue Velvet (1986). Lynch and Badalamenti conceived the song Mysteries of Love for the soundtrack when they were unable to afford the rights for This Mortal Coil’s version of Tim Buckley’s Song to the Siren. The result was a mesmerising, slow-motion masterpiece, its tapestry of strings and synthesisers hanging in space as Cruise’s voice haunted the arrangement like a distant ghost.

The trio reconvened to record Cruise’s debut album Floating Into the Night (1989), a skilful mix of retro 1950s-style influences with dreamy and mysterious textures, all focused around Cruise’s shimmering vocals. The track Falling, with its ominous electric guitar twangs, became a cult phenomenon after Lynch used an instrumental version of it as the theme for his groundbreaking TV show Twin Peaks in 1990. As Falling went to No 7 and No 11 in the UK and US singles charts respectively, Cruise, who was working as a waitress at the time, suddenly found celebrity thrust upon her, not least via an invitation to appear on the TV show Saturday Night Live.

Other songs from the album were used in Twin Peaks and also in Lynch’s Industrial Symphony No. 1, an avant-garde concert performance staged in 1989 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York, in which Cruise appeared with the actors Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern and Michael J Anderson. Her part called for her to hang 80ft above the stage wearing a prom dress.

Cruise made an appearance in the Twin Peaks’ pilot episode singing Falling, and featured in later instalments as a singer in the Roadhouse bar. She would also appear in its later iterations, the feature film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992) and Twin Peaks: The Return (2017). “In the ruckus of beers flying through the air at The Roadhouse, we have Julee singing a beautiful, slow-tempo song, and it’s so outrageous,” Badalamenti said of her role. “The songs with Julee serve a two-fold purpose: they contrast the visuals and they set the tone for the show.”

She told the NME: “The way I see it is David [Lynch] is very talented and he’s formed a company of actors around him which he uses over and over again … I see myself as the musical wing of that company.”

Born in Creston, Iowa , she was the daughter of John Cruise, the town dentist, and his wife, Wilma, his office manager. “I was a kinda late bloomer, I didn’t go out with boys at high school,” she said. “I was the most popular girl in school, but I was one of those girls that wasn’t easy, so nobody would go out with me.”

She took a music degree in the french horn at Drake University in Des Moines. After graduation she opted to pursue a career in singing and acting rather than classical music. Moving to Minneapolis, she spent several years performing with the Children’s Theater Company before relocating to New York in the early 80s. She played Janis Joplin in a revue called Beehive, and appeared in productions of Little Shop of Horrors and A Little Night Music. She first met Badalamenti after she was cast in a country and western musical. “I was a chorus girl with a big skirt and a big wig, singing way too loud,” she recalled. “Angelo was doing the music for the show, and we became friends.”

Cruise’s second album, The Voice of Love (1993), was a further collaboration with Lynch and Badalamenti, much in the same vein as its predecessor. It was not until 2002 that she recorded another solo album, The Art of Being a Girl, this time collaborating with the producer JJ McGeehan, who co-wrote some of the material. Its mix of lilting jazz and cabaret styles with a discreet side order of electronica proved that Cruise was capable of far more than being a mouthpiece for Lynch and Badalamenti.

Almost a decade passed before she made her final album, My Secret Life (2011), a collaboration with DJ Dmitry from Deee-lite. Alongside hip-hop beats and electronic treatments, her voice retained its ethereal mystique.

Among numerous other projects across her career, Cruise (with Lynch and Badalamenti) recorded a version of Elvis Presley’s Summer Kisses, Winter Tears for the soundtrack of Wim Wenders’ film Until the End of the World (1991), and she toured with the B-52’s for most of the 90s while their vocalist Cindy Wilson took a sabbatical – a period which, according to her husband, the author and publisher Edward Grinnan, was “the happiest time of her performing life”.

She also performed regularly with Bobby McFerrin’s vocal group Voicestra, and other artists she collaborated with included Moby, Pharrell Williams, the Welsh electronic band Hybrid and the ambient duo Delerium. Her music has been used in TV shows including CSI: Miami and House.

She had been suffering from lupus for several years before her death, and had problems with drugs and alcohol. She is survived by her husband.

• David Lynch
• Pop and rock

Most viewed

By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy . We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Twin Peaks Icon Julee Cruise Dead at 65

Michael ausiello, president & editorial director.

• Share on Facebook
• Show more sharing options
• Share to Flipboard
• Share on LinkedIn
• Submit to Reddit
• Post to Tumblr
• Share on WhatsApp
• Print This Page

Singer Julee Cruise , best known for her collaborations with David Lynch , most notably via  Twin Peaks , has died. She was 65 . TV Stars We Lost in 2022 View Gallery 82 Images

Cruise’s death was confirmed by her husband Edward Grinnan on Facebook, according to The Guardian . “She left this realm on her own terms,” he wrote. “No regrets. She is at peace.”

In 2018, Cruise announced that she was battling Systemic Lupus. “I can… hardly walk,” she wrote on Facebook . “And now it’s difficult to stand… The pain is so bad I cry and snap at people.”

Featuring music by Angelo Badalamenti and lyrics by Lynch, an instrumental version of Cruise’s haunting 1989 track “Falling” was used as the theme to Twin Peaks.

Cruise made occasional appearances in the original, early ’90s  Twin Peaks  on ABC as a singer at local watering hole The Roadhouse, a role she reprised in the 2017 Showtime revival Twin Peaks: The Return . She also turned up in the 1992 film  Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me .

Cruise also collaborated with Lynch and Badalamenti on the former’s 1986 film Blue Velvet , which features her song “Mysteries of Love.”

“It’s like I’m his little sister: you don’t like your older brother telling you what to do,” Cruise reportedly said of her working relationship with Lynch. “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.”

Cancel reply

Email * Your email address will not be published. We will notify you when someone replies.

“ He said one day / ‘I’ll meet you’ / Our hearts will fly / With the nightingale / The nightingale / He told me / One day / ‘You will be with me’” You are a wonderful piece to the delightfully misshapen Lynchian puzzle. Sleep well, Julee.

Don’t forget that she also reinterpreted and sang the Psych theme song (Dual Spires episode).

She also filled in extensively for Cindy Wilson on tour with the B-52s in the 90s when Wilson left the band.

I still listen to Floating. A sad loss but she’s in a better place.

Sad to hear she was ill for her last years. I still listen to her CD, Floating into the Night, several times each year, as well as the original Twin Peaks soundtrack and her other albums. RIP, Julee.

Twin Peaks is truely perfection, Julee is a massive part of it. I know shes more than a tv show but twin peaks was my first introduction to her tallent . RIP

Possibly my all-time favorite theme song. I thought it was hauntingly beautiful. Sorry to read this news.

This is such sad news, I’m sorry she suffered so! As great as Twin Peaks is, it certainly would have been less so without her ethereal, haunting voice. R.I.P.

She was amazing. “Rockin’ Back Inside My Heart” is a personal favorite that I still listen to often. What a unique talent. She will be missed but forever immortalized in the works of David Lynch.

Most Popular

You may also like.

Julee Cruise, ‘Twin Peaks’ singer and David Lynch collaborator, dies at 65

• Show more sharing options
• Copy Link URL Copied!

Julee Cruise, the ethereal singer who performed the theme song “Falling” for David Lynch’s surrealistic 1990s soap opera “Twin Peaks,” died Thursday. She was 65.

According to a Facebook post from her husband, Edward Grinnan, Cruise “left this realm on her own terms. No regrets. She is at peace.” Grinnan told NPR that Cruise died by suicide and had struggled with “lupus, depression and alcohol and drug addiction.”

Cruise’s delicate vocals provided a dreamy, eerie counterpoint to the lush orchestrations of Angelo Badalamenti, the composer who was a collaborator of director Lynch. Cruise’s association with Badalamenti and Lynch defined her career, providing her with her breakthrough hit, “Falling” — a variation of Badalmenti’s instrumental “Twin Peaks” theme — and steady work until the end of her life. Cruise also toured occasionally with the B-52’s, filling in for an absent Cindy Wilson.

Upon learning of Cruise’s death, Lynch posted a tribute to the singer on YouTube: “I just found out that the great Julee Cruise passed away. Very sad news. So it might be a good time to appreciate all the good music she made and remember her as a great musician, great singer and great human being.”

Duncan Jones, son of David Bowie, tweeted, “dad would put [Cruise’s album] ‘Floating Into the Night’ on almost every night as ‘dinner music.’ A staple.”

A native of Creston, Iowa, Cruise was born Dec. 1, 1956. She was drawn to the arts at an early age, acting and playing the French horn while in high school. After graduating from Drake University, she spent time with the Des Moines Symphony but felt pulled toward the theatrical stage. Leaving behind the French horn, she then moved to Minneapolis, where she became part of the Guthrie Theater and, by the early 1980s, was a member of the Children’s Theatre Company.

By the mid-1980s, Cruise had relocated to New York, settling in the East Village. She appeared as Janis Joplin in a production called “Beehive” prior to joining a theatrical workshop from Badalamenti. At the time, the composer was scoring Lynch’s postmodernist noir film “Blue Velvet.” Lynch intended to set a scene to This Mortal Coil’s spectral cover of Tim Buckley’s “Song to the Siren,” but when the music rights proved too expensive, he asked Badalamenti to write an original song in a similar style. Badalamenti suggested Cruise as the singer for the resulting “Mysteries of Love,” which featured lyrics by Lynch.

“Mysteries of Love” kicked off a period of collaboration between Cruise, Badalamenti and Lynch that spanned records, stage and screen. The core of the collaboration was the original songs Badalamenti and Lynch wrote for “Floating Into the Night,” Cruise’s 1989 debut album. Much of this music was featured in “Industrial Symphony No. 1,” a Lynch theatrical production at the Brooklyn Academy of Music featuring Cruise, but it found a much wider audience when it appeared in “Twin Peaks,” the surreal soap opera Lynch developed for network television.

The series premiered on ABC in April 1990 and became a sensation, sweeping Cruise into the spotlight. “Falling,” the vocal variation of Badalamenti’s haunting theme song, reached charts in the U.K. and Europe, while “Floating Into the Night” became a cult hit in the U.S. Cruise often appeared on “Twin Peaks,” singing in the biker bar the Roadhouse, her soft, gentle presence providing a compelling contrast to the roughneck setting.

When Sinead O’Connor pulled out of “Saturday Night Live” in May 1990 as a protest over guest host Andrew Dice Clay, Cruise stepped in as a last-minute musical guest.

Cruise maintained a fruitful collaboration with Lynch and Badalamenti into the mid-1990s. After contributing a cover of Elvis Presley’s “Summer Kisses, Winter Tears” to the soundtrack of Wim Wenders “Until the End of the World,” the trio worked on her 1993 album, “The Voice of Love,” and she’d appear in “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me,” the 1992 film sequel to the television series. During this period, Cruise toured with the B-52’s while Cindy Wilson took a leave of absence to focus on family. Her husband would later say she found her time in the B-52’s to be “the happiest time of her performing life.”

Cruise’s solo career slowed in the late 1990s. She would appear onstage and occasionally collaborate in the studio with a host of other musicians — most prominent of these was an appearance on “White People,” the 2004 album by Handsome Boy Modeling School — but new music from her was rare. She released “The Art of Being a Girl,” her first album of self-penned material, in 2002, then waited nearly a decade to issue “My Secret Life,” a 2011 album produced by DJ Dmitry from Deee-Lite.

Cruise reunited with Lynch for “Twin Peaks: The Return,” appearing in its penultimate episode in 2017. A year later, she announced on Facebook she was retreating from live performance due to her diagnosis of systemic lupus.

Cruise is survived by her husband, Grinnan.

In the farewell note he posted on the B-52’s Facebook page, Grinnan wrote, “I played her ‘Roam’ during her transition. Now she will roam forever. Rest in peace, my love.”

More to Read

Mandisa, ‘American Idol’ star and Grammy-winning Christian music singer, dies at 47

April 19, 2024

Cat Janice, singer who died of cancer, told her family to ‘keep the music going’

March 8, 2024

Steve Lawrence, half of the Emmy- and Grammy-winning music duo Steve & Eydie, dies at 88

March 7, 2024

The biggest entertainment stories

Get our big stories about Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more right in your inbox as soon as they publish.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

More From the Los Angeles Times

Snoop Dogg puts mind, money on bowl. Not that kind of bowl. A college football bowl game

May 7, 2024

‘Mama’ Cass Elliot wasn’t killed by a ham sandwich, daughter says. Sorry to skewer that myth

Entertainment & Arts

Shooting near Drake’s mansion wounds security guard, sparks police investigation

Britney Spears alleges she was ‘gaslit and tricked’ when she left Chateau Marmont

The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News

Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter

site categories

Julee cruise, frequent david lynch collaborator, dies at 65.

The instrumental version of Cruise's "Falling" was the title music for Lynch's 'Twin Peaks' series.

By Gil Kaufman, Billboard

Gil Kaufman, Billboard

• Share this article on Facebook
• Share this article on Twitter
• Share this article on Flipboard
• Share this article on Email
• Show additional share options
• Share this article on Linkedin
• Share this article on Pinit
• Share this article on Reddit
• Share this article on Tumblr
• Share this article on Whatsapp
• Share this article on Print
• Share this article on Comment

Julee Cruise, the alluring pop singer best known for her collaborations with avant garde director David Lynch , has died at age 65. The vocalist’s husband, Edward Grinnan, confirmed the news on Facebook on Thursday , writing, “I said goodby to my wife, Julee Cruise, today. She left this realm on her own terms. No regrets. She is at peace.”

Grinnan said Cruise’s time as a touring member of the B-52’s from 1992-1999 as a fill-in for member Cindy Wilson was the “happiest time of her performing life. She will be forever grateful to them. When she first stepped up to the mic with Fred and Kate she said it was like joining the Beatles. She will love them always and never forget their travels together around the world.”

Related Stories

Susan buckner, cheerleader patty simcox in 'grease,' dies at 72, rochelle oliver, 'who's afraid of virginia woolf' star and admired acting teacher, dies at 86.

As a tribute, Grinnan said he played the Georgia band’s 1989 single “Roam” for Cruise as she transitioned. “Now she will roam forever,” he wrote. Cruise’s best-known work is her single “Falling,” whose instrumental version written by composer Angelo Badalamenti, served as the theme song for Lynch’s belovedly weird 1990 Twin Peaks TV series, later winning a Grammy for best pop instrumental. The singer with the haunting voice also had cameos as a roadhouse crooner in the series and the 1992 spinoff movie, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me ; she sang the closing credits on an episode of the 2017 Showtime TV reboot, Twin Peaks: the Return .

A vocal version of the the song with lyrics written by Lynch became a worldwide hit and was featured on Cruise’s 1989 debut album, the ethereal Floating Into the Night .

Cruise’s long association with Lynch and Badalamenti began in 1986 when Lynch was looking for a song to accompany a scene in his bizarro classic Blue Velvet .

Badalamenti, remembering Cruise from a New York theater workshop production he’d worked on, suggested her for the gig and the song they came up with, “Mysteries of Love,” which was also later featured on the Floating album; other tracks from that collection wound up in subsequent Lynch works, including “Rockin’ Back Inside My Heart,” “Into the Night” and “I Float Alone” in the director’s Industrial Symphony No. 1 .

The versatile actress and Broadway performer was born in Creston, Iowa on Dec. 1, 1956 and her other notable credits included singing the theme song for an episode of the USA Network drama Psych , covering Elvis Presley’s “Summer Kisses, Winter Tears” (produced by Lynch and Badalamenti) for the Wim Wenders movie Until the End of the World and collaborating with former Deee-lite DJ Dmitry on her fourth and final studio album, 2011’s My Secret Life .

Over the years, Cruise also collaborated with everyone from Moby to EDM group Hybrid, Delerium and Prince Paul’s Handsome boy Modeling School, among others.

The singer revealed in 2018 that she was battling systemic lupus , writing on Facebook at the time that she could “hardly walk… and now it’s difficult to stand. I can’t walk Gracie anymore. My spine is crumbling, and pinching on nerves.”

A version of this story first appeared on billboard.com

THR Newsletters

Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day

More from The Hollywood Reporter

South by southwest heading to london in 2025, charli xcx confirms rumor she was asked to work on songs for britney spears, lily allen says “nepo baby” is a term “almost exclusively used for women”, stormy daniels describes meeting trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial, ethan hawke recalls thinking “we’re going to meet the queen” before taylor swift’s “fortnight” music video, tiffany haddish explains her stand-up comments over university protests: “do it better. really be effective”.

clock This article was published more than  1 year ago

Julee Cruise, the whispery voice of David Lynch films, dies at 65

Julee Cruise, a singer known for her breathy, dream pop collaborations with director David Lynch and composer Angelo Badalamenti on the soundtracks for “Blue Velvet” and “Twin Peaks,” died June 9 in Pittsfield, Mass. She was 65.

The cause was suicide, according to her husband, Edward Grinnan, who first posted the news on Facebook.

Ms. Cruise’s whispery “white angel” voice was, in essence, a character she created for Lynch and Badalamenti for the song “ Mysteries of Love .” When the director couldn’t license “Song to the Siren” by This Mortal Coil for his 1986 film “Blue Velvet,” he jotted down his own ethereal lyrics on a napkin and charged Badalamenti with finding a vocalist.

Badalamenti and Ms. Cruise had met years earlier in a country-themed musical he wrote for a production in the East Village.

“I was a chorus girl with a big skirt and a big wig, singing way too loud,” she recalled in a 1990 interview with the San Francisco Chronicle.

He asked her for referrals, “but he didn’t like any of the singers I recommended. He wanted dreamy and romantic. I said, ‘Let me do it.’ ”

“Mysteries of Love” accompanied the innocent courtship between Jeffrey (Kyle MacLachlan) and Sandy (Laura Dern) amid the dark depravity of “Blue Velvet,” and it crystallized a musical aesthetic that Lynch would maintain for years. He liked Ms. Cruise’s voice so much that he signed a record contract with her and produced her 1989 album “Floating Into the Night.”

“David doesn’t know how to talk in musical terms, so he talked to me like he was directing a film,” Ms. Cruise told the Los Angeles Times when the album came out. “He’d say things like, ‘Really sad, Julee, make it just rip your heart out!’ Or, ‘You’re singing into a void and feel sad but not hopeless.’ His music is different from his films. He’s much more tender and intimate in his music — it’s as if he’s whispering a secret to you in his songs.”

Clare Nina Norelli, author of the book “Soundtrack From Twin Peaks," told the Guardian in 2017, “Julee Cruise was a muse figure in that collaboration. There’s always a duality in [Lynch’s] films and she was a living embodiment of that Lynchian innocence.”

Ms. Cruise was, by nature, a Broadway belter. But she took Lynch’s lyrics and direction and, carried by the gentle synthesizer rivers and doo-wop aesthetic of Badalamenti’s music, became an uber-earnest pixie who symbolized Lynch’s obsession with the pop art from his childhood.

In his review of the album, The Washington Post’s Joe Brown described her voice as that “of a chiffon-draped ghost of a girl group” and said it was “most beguiling when heard late at night, alone or not.”

“Floating Into the Night” mostly evaporated upon release in 1989, and Ms. Cruise resumed waiting tables. Then Lynch used an instrumental of the song “Falling” as the theme for “Twin Peaks” in 1990 and cast her in the pilot as a singer in the central roadhouse bar — and she became famous. “ Falling ” went to No. 11 on the Billboard chart, and the album penetrated the Top 100.

Among the many fans was David Bowie, who “would put ‘Floating Into the Night’ on almost every night as ‘dinner music,’” Bowie’s son, Duncan Jones, tweeted this week. “A staple.”

Three songs featuring Ms. Cruise were included on the 1990 “Twin Peaks” soundtrack album, which went to No. 22 on the Billboard chart and was a hit around the world. When Sinead O’Connor dropped out of “Saturday Night Live” in May 1990 because of opposition to the episode’s host — Andrew Dice Clay — Ms. Cruise was invited to sub and performed “Falling.”

“The music was strange,” Ms. Cruise said on The Red Room Podcast in 2018. “It wasn’t ’50s, and it wasn’t ’90s. And what was it? You know, it was something really cool and different.”

Her second album with Lynch and Badalamenti, “The Voice of Love” (1993), was a flop much like the attendant “Twin Peaks” prequel, “Fire Walk With Me.”

“Second album syndrome is the worst,” Ms. Cruise said in 2018. “L.A. is a lot like London. You know, they get sick of things real quick, and they got sick of ‘Twin Peaks’ real quick. And everyone ran.”

She joined the B-52s, replacing Cindy Wilson as lead singer in 1992 and 1993. Twenty years later she released a new album, “ The Art of Being a Girl ,” which departed from the dream pop sound and showcased her more full-bodied warble, as did “My Secret Life” in 2011.

A trained actress, she played Petra in Stephen Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music” in Wichita in the early 1980s, and Janis Joplin in the off-Broadway musical “Beehive.” In 2003, she played Andy Warhol and several other characters in the musical “Radiant Baby” in New York.

Her fame was forever confined to the Lynch projects, but those wispy songs had a major effect on several artists. Ms. Cruise could hear her influence reflected in Lana Del Rey and other singers, telling Rolling Stone in 2014: “They sing like sexy baby girls.”

Julee Ann Cruise was born Dec. 1, 1956, in Creston, Iowa. Her father was a dentist and an amateur pilot.

She majored in French horn performance at Drake University in Des Moines. After graduating, she acted in children’s theater in Minneapolis. She moved to New York around 1983 and studied acting with William H. Macy.

Ms. Cruise said her Lynch angel character was all musical theater. Her true personality was spunky, earthy and self-deprecating. She had doubts about the first album, “Floating in the Night,” and remembered taking it home for Christmas “and everyone in my family hated it,” she said in 2014. “They were like, ‘What are you singing about?’ One of my lawyers at the time said, ‘This is a novelty.’ I said, ‘Like Tiny Tim?’”

She was uncomfortable with the onslaught of celebrity and with public performance — she would often vomit before taking the stage. She had to contend with stalkers and hated when “Twin Peaks” fans told her she was the soundtrack of their life.

“I don’t want that responsibility,” she told Pitchfork in 2018.

She suffered from lupus for decades, and consequently lost her hair and “had the bones of an 85-year-old woman at 33,” she said. She also battled “depression and alcohol and drug addiction,” her husband told NPR.

Survivors include Grinnan, her husband since 1988 and editor in chief of the nonprofit Guideposts; and a sister.

Like her father, Ms. Cruise had a pilot’s license.

“My dad used to take us up to the Arctic Circle in his plane when I was little,” she told Pitchfork. “He died when he was 51. That night he passed, I flew by myself up to Minneapolis in my Piper Cub that Dad gave me. We have our own great graveyard there.”

Things you buy through our links may earn  Vox Media  a commission.

Julee Cruise, Voice of Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet , Dead at 65

Singer-songwriter Julee Cruise has died at the age of 65, according to her husband, Edward Grinnan . Grinnan confirmed the news in a Facebook post on June 9, writing, “I said goodbye to my wife, Julee Cruise, today. She left this realm on her own terms. No regrets. She is at peace.” Cruise was best known for her collaborations with David Lynch and composer Angelo Badalamenti on the soundtracks of the 1986 film Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks . Cruise recorded the original track “ Mysteries of Love ” for Blue Velvet and the vocal version of Twin Peaks ’s theme song, “Falling.” Both songs appeared on her 1989 debut album, Floating into the Night , with lyrics written by Lynch. Cruise’s ethereal vocals defined the sonic tone of Twin Peaks on soundtrack cuts like “Into the Night,” “The Nightingale,” “The World Spins,” and “Rockin’ Back Inside My Heart.” Cruise made appearances as a singer at the Roadhouse in the series and its 1992 follow-up film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, in which she performed her song “Questions in a World of Blue.” Cruise made her final television appearance in the finale of Twin Peaks: The Return in 2017.

Beyond Twin Peaks , Cruise performed in Lynch and Badalamenti’s 1989 Brooklyn Academy of Music performance piece, Industrial Symphony No. 1. In 1990, she performed “Falling” on Saturday Night Live after Sinéad O’Connor withdrew as musical guest . Throughout the 1990s, Cruise was a touring member of the B-52’s, filling in for Cindy Wilson. In his Facebook post confirming Cruise’s death, Grinnan called this “the happiest time of her performing life,” and writes, “I played her Roam during her transition. Now she will roam forever. Rest In Peace, my love, and love to you all.”

• david lynch
• julee cruise

Most Viewed Stories

• A Complete Track-by-Track Timeline of Drake and Kendrick Lamar’s Feud
• Kim Kardashian Booed at Tom Brady Roast
• Cinematrix No. 52: May 7, 2024
• What Are We to Do With All This Nastiness?
• Help! There’s So Much Pop!
• Vanderpump Rules Season-Finale Recap: Fool’s Gold

Editor’s Picks

Most Popular

What is your email.

This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us.

Sign In To Continue Reading

Create your free account.

Password must be at least 8 characters and contain:

• Lower case letters (a-z)
• Upper case letters (A-Z)
• Numbers (0-9)
• Special Characters (!@#$%^&*)

As part of your account, you’ll receive occasional updates and offers from New York , which you can opt out of anytime.

Find anything you save across the site in your account

Julee Cruise, Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks Singer, Dies at 65

By Jazz Monroe and Matthew Strauss

Julee Cruise , the singer, multi-instrumentalist, actor, and longtime collaborator of David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti , died yesterday by suicide, Cruise’s husband Edward Grinnan tells Pitchfork. Grinnan also wrote a commemorative post for Cruise on Facebook . “She left this realm on her own terms,” he wrote. “No regrets. She is at peace.… I played her [the B-52’s song] ‘Roam’ during her transition. Now she will roam forever.” Speaking on the phone with Pitchfork, Grinnan remarked, “She was the most creative person I ever met, and I think I married her for that creativity.” Julee Cruise was 65 years old.

Lynch eulogized Cruise on YouTube today. “I just found out that the great Julee Cruise passed away. Very sad news,” he said. “So might be a good time to appreciate all the good music she made, and remember her as being a great musician, great singer, and a great human being. Julee Cruise.”

Born in Creston, Iowa, in 1956, Cruise trained as both a musician and an amateur pilot while growing up. In the mid-1980s, she met Lynch during production for Blue Velvet , which featured her unforgettable rendition of “Mysteries of Love.” She returned to work with Lynch on Twin Peaks and its offshoots, appearing as both an actor and singer. Her performances included a second-season rendition of “The World Spins,” reprised for the finale of Twin Peaks: The Return in 2017.

Cruise’s “Falling,” the vocal version of the Twin Peaks theme song, appeared on her 1989 debut album, Floating Into the Night , made with Lynch and Badalamenti. “When David came into the studio, it made a big difference,” she said in 2018. “It was really a great team because Angelo and I are so malleable and so good at being chameleons. If you want me to sing a high A flat, I’ll do it. If you want me to weigh 80 pounds, I’ll do it. I’m an actor, I’m a musician, I’m a writer. I’m anything anybody wants me to be and I’m going to be the best there is.”

In 1990, Cruise starred in the musical film Industrial Symphony No. 1 . The following year, she sang Elvis Presley’s “Summer Kisses, Winter Tears” for Wim Wenders’ film Until the End of the World . She released a second album, The Voice of Love , in 1993, but later lamented its poor production values; Sacred Bones reissued the record in 2018.

Before releasing her 2002 album, The Art of Being a Girl , Cruise sporadically toured with the B-52’s, filling in for Cindy Wilson. She also sang alongside Pharrell Williams on Handsome Boy Modeling School’s 2004 song “Class System.” She released a final studio album, My Secret Life , with Deee-Lite’s DJ Dmitry in 2011.

In her later years, Cruise spoke of retreating from the stage, partly due to chronic pain from lupus. In 2018, before Joseph R. Biden Jr. won the state of Arizona in the 2020 election, she spoke of her wishes for a final resting place. “I’m not gonna get buried,” she said. “I’m going to have my ashes mixed in with my dogs. They’re gonna spread my ashes across Arizona, and Arizona is going to turn blue. It’s not gonna be a red state anymore.”

If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or know someone who is, we recommend these resources:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

By signing up you agree to our User Agreement (including the class action waiver and arbitration provisions ), our Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement and to receive marketing and account-related emails from Pitchfork. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

By Nina Corcoran

By Matthew Strauss

By Madison Bloom

By Jazz Monroe

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes

Singer Julee Cruise, who worked with David Lynch on Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet , dies at 65

Cruise's husband wrote on Facebook that "she left this realm on her own terms."

Julee Cruise, the singer with the etherial voice who worked with director David Lynch on Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet , died Thursday. She was 65.

Cruise's husband, Edward Grinnan, shared the news on Facebook , as first reported by The Guardian .

"For those of you who go back I thought you might want to know that I said goodby to my wife, Julee Cruise, today," he wrote. "She left this realm on her own terms. No regrets. She is at peace."

Cruise divulged on Facebook in 2018 that she had been struggling with systemic lupus erythematosus, the autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack its own tissues.

"I can. Hardly walk. And now it's difficult to stand," she wrote at the time, noting "the pain is so bad I cry and snap at people."

Cruise is best known for her collaborations with Lynch. Her song "Falling," the vocal version of Angelo Badalamenti's theme music for the Twin Peaks series, was featured on her debut album Floating Into the Night , released in 1989. Her other big collaboration with Lynch was on his 1986 film Blue Velvet ; the soundtrack featured her song "Mysteries of Love."

Cruise made appearances on Twin Peaks as a singer in the Roadhouse bar, as well as in 1992's Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me . The singer later returned for Twin Peaks: The Return in 2017 to perform "The World Spins."

"It's like I'm his little sister: you don't like your older brother telling you what to do," Cruise once told Pitchfork in a 2018 interview. "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."

Related content:

• Stars we've lost in 2022
• The music of Twin Peaks
• Industrial Symphony No. 1 : The Dream of the Broken Hearted

Related Articles

site categories

‘extended family’ canceled after one season at nbc, julee cruise dies: haunting ‘twin peaks’, ‘blue velvet’ singer was 65.

By Greg Evans

NY & Broadway Editor

More Stories By Greg

• Rikers Would Be Ready For Trump, NYC Mayor Eric Adams Says
• Public Theater 2024-25 Season To Include Reopening Of Renovated Free Shakespeare Central Park Stage
• Robert Downey Jr. To Make Broadway Debut This Fall In Ayad Akhtar’s New Play ‘McNeal’

Julee Cruise , whose ethereal singing could conjure both nostalgic innocence and a menacing present, making her an ideal musical collaborator for David Lynch and the Twin Peaks director’s go-to composer Angelo Badalamenti, died Thursday. She was 65.

Her death was announced on Facebook by husband, the author and editor Edward Grinnan. A cause of death was not disclosed, but Grinnan wrote, “She left this realm on her own terms. No regrets. She is at peace.” Cruise disclosed in 2018 that she suffered from systemic lupus.

Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery

Grinnan posted the message on the Facebook page of the band the B-52s. During the 1990s, Cruise often performed with the band, filling in for original co-vocalist Cindy Wilson when needed.

Related Stories

Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery

Susan Buckner Dies: 'Grease' Actor Who Played Olivia Newton-John's Cheerleading Pal Was 72

In the Facebook post, Grinnan wrote, “For those of you who go back I thought you might want to know that I said goodby to my wife, Julee Cruise, today. She left this realm on her own terms. No regrets. She is at peace. Having had such a varied music career she often said that the time she spent as a B filling in for Cindy while she was having a family was the happiest time of her performing life. She will be forever grateful to them. When she first stepped up to the mic with Fred [Schneider] and Kate [Pierson] she said it was like joining the Beatles. She will love them always and never forget their travels together around the world. I played her [the B-52s song] ‘Roam’ during her transition. Now she will roam forever. Rest In Peace, my love, and love to you all.”

Despite her stint with the New Wave band from Georgia, Cruise was best known for her collaborations with Lynch, first working with the director on the 1986 feature film Blue Velvet. Recommended by Badalamenti, with whom she had worked in the New York City theater scene, Cruise was recruited by Lynch to sing “Mysteries of Love”, the lovely, vaguely funereal song that ends the film.

Lynch and Badalamenti wrote additional songs for Cruise’s debut album, 1989’s Floating into the Night , and the three reteamed, perhaps most memorably, for Lynch’s groundbreaking and eccentric 1990-92 ABC television series Twin Peaks. Cruise provided the breathy vocals for the series’ songs “Into the Night” and “The Nightingale,” as well as for the soundtrack’s vocal version of the series’ instantly recognizable theme “Falling.”

Cruise made occasional appearances on the series as a local chanteuse, as she did in the 1992 feature film version Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. Other Cruise songs would be used throughout the run of the series. She returned to the Lynchian universe for the 2017 Showtime revival Twin Peaks: The Return , performing the song “The World Spins.”

Following her 1989 debut album Floating into the Night , which included the Twin Peaks theme “Falling,” Cruise would go on to release additional LPs including The Voice of Love (1993),  The Art of Being a Girl (2002) and My Secret Life (2011). Over the years, she would collaborate with such musicians as Moby, the Welsh electronic music group Hybrid, former members of Deee-Lite, Pharrell Williams, and Depeche Mode’s Martin Gore, among others.

Must Read Stories

Travis kelce lands first major role in ryan murphy’s fx series ‘grotesquerie’, sxsw sets london expansion for branded film, music & tech festival, greta lee & kingsley ben-adir in negotiations to lead louis leterrier’s ‘11817’, ‘kingdom of the planet of the apes’ beats chest for $130m global bow: preview.

Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy.

Read More About:

Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories .

• What Is Cinema?
• Newsletters

Julee Cruise, Ethereal Chanteuse From Twin Peaks , Dies at 65

By Jordan Hoffman

Julee Cruise, the dreamy vocalist best known for her work with director David Lynch , has died according to reports . The singer’s husband confirmed the news on Facebook , writing “I played her [the B-52s’s] ‘Roam’ during her transition. Now she will roam forever.” She was 65 years old. 

Cruise’s echoey, ethereal singing was an essential part of what made Twin Peaks such a success when it debuted in 1990. Cruise was heard on three songs on the official soundtrack album, and also appeared in two episodes. She can also be seen in the film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me and 2017’s Twin Peaks: The Return . 

The Iowa-born Cruise originally studied french horn, then met Lynch’s composer Angelo Badalamenti when the two were working at an off-Broadway theater company in New York’s East Village. The first collaboration between the three was the song “Mysteries of Love,” which ran during the final images of the 1985 film Blue Velvet . 

Badalamenti then worked with Cruise to compose the music to her first album, 1989’s Floating Into The Night. Lynch wrote the lyrics. Some of these tracks were later incorporated into Twin Peaks , including an instrumental version of “Falling,” which, renamed as “Twin Peaks Theme,” won Badalamenti a Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. 

In 1990, Cruise, Lynch, and Badalamenti released Industrial Symphony No. 1 , a direct-to-video film of a theatrical concert/performance piece given at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Laura Dern and Nicolas Cage , who were shooting Wild At Heart with Lynch at the time, appear in a prologue , as their characters from that film. (Maybe. It's Lynch, so you never know.) Please take a look, and let this avant-garde early '90s aesthetic wash over you.

By Maggie Coughlan

On May 12, 1990, Cruise appeared as a last-minute replacement for Sinéad O’Connor on one of the more infamous episodes of Saturday Night Live . The featured guest that week was Andrew “Dice” Clay , whose not-very-P.C. style of comedy inspired cast member Nora Dunn to take the week off. When word of this spread, O’Connor investigated Clay’s work and decided not to appear as previously planned. Cruise (and the group Spanic Boys ) played in the musical guest spots. 

In 1991, Cruise's cover of “Summer Kisses, Winter Tears” appeared on the quintessential alternative rock collection of the day, the soundtrack to Wim Wenders ’s Until the End of the World . 

From 1992 through 1999, Cruise worked as a touring member of the B-52s, while Cindy Wilson was on hiatus. She also performed with Bobby McFerrin ’s Voicestra project. 

David Lynch, very active on YouTube with his daily weather reports, said, with great emotion in his voice that “it might be a good time to appreciate all the good music [Cruise] made and remember her as being a great musician, a great singer and a great human being.” This came after a video in which he suggested listening to “Rock’n Me” by the Steve Miller Band. 

More From the 2024 Met Gala

All the Highlights From the 2024 Met Gala

See Every Look From the 2024 Met Gala Red Carpet

The Met Gala’s “Garden of Time” Theme Winners

Tyla and Her Balmain Sand Dress Had to Be Carried Up the Met Gala Steps

Lauren Sánchez Makes Her Met Gala Debut

The Best-Dressed Celebrities at the Met Gala

Zendaya Peacocks Her Way Into the Met Gala

Kim Kardashian ’s Fairytale Corset

Cover Star Chris Hemsworth on Fear, Love, and Furiosa

Stay in the know and subscribe to Vanity Fair for just $2.50 $1 per month.

Jordan Hoffman

Contributing editor, royal watch.

By signing up you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

By Chris Murphy

By Kase Wickman

By Paul Chi

• Entertainment
• Celebrities
• Ticket Sales
• Promoted: What to Watch on Prime Video

trending now

Bear dragged car crash victim's body from scene: cops

Teacher, 24, busted for ‘making out’ with 11-year-old,...

What angry King Charles really uttered when Kate and William...

Graduate's mother ID'd as person who plunged to her death from...

Police narrative about surfers killed in Mexico 'for their truck...

Zoogoers outraged to discover 'panda' exhibit was actually dogs...

Royal family fails to acknowledge Prince Archie's 5th birthday --...

Houston attorney shot and killed by McDonald's customer outraged...

‘twin peaks’ singer julee cruise dead at 65 following health battle.

• View Author Archive
• Get author RSS feed

Thanks for contacting us. We've received your submission.

Julee Cruise, a singer best known for her work on David Lynch’s iconic series “Twin Peaks,” has died at 65.

Cruise’s husband Edward Grinnan confirmed the icon’s death in a touching Facebook tribute .

“She left this realm on her own terms,” the vocalist’s bereaved soul mate wrote. “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 cause of death was not given, the Guardian reported . However, in 2018, the singer announced on Facebook that she was battling systemic lupus, which left her in chronic pain.

“I can hardly walk,” she wrote in the heartbreaking post. “And now it’s difficult to stand. My spine is crumbling and pinching on nerves.”

“I don’t take opiates, but the pain is so bad I cry and snap at people,” the singer added. “I’ve had a glorious time… but I must leave here. Someone wise told me I must go, and so being a recluse, it’s law and boredom for me. Thanks so much for everything… That’s my final curtsy.”

Born Dec. 1, 1956, in Creston, Iowa, the songwriter is perhaps best known for her musical collaborations with director David Lynch. The auteur notably used the instrumental version of her 1989 hit “Falling,” written by Angelo Badalamenti, as the theme song to his iconic TV series “Twin Peaks.”

Along with her musical contributions, Cruise also played the part of a singer in both the ABC mystery show and its 1992 movie spin-off “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.” She would reprise the part in the 2017 Showtime revival “Twin Peaks: The Return.”

Cruise also collaborated with Lynch on the 1986 crime drama “Blue Velvet,” which features her Badalamenti collaboration “Mysteries of Love.”

The singer-actress had previously described her working relationship with Lynch in 2018, the Guardian reported. “It’s like I’m his little sister: You don’t like your older brother telling you what to do,” she said. “David’s foppish. He can have these tantrums sometimes.”

She continued, “And have you ever seen his temper? Anybody can look funny when they get mad. But I love him.”

Aside from her collaborations with the “Twin Peaks” visionary, Cruise is also known in the music sphere for touring as a member of the B-52s throughout the 1990s. She also released several albums, including “The Voice of Love” in 1993 — which featured three songs from “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me” — as well as “The Art of Being a Girl” in 2002 and “My Secret Life” in 2011. And, in yet another epic director-songstress collaboration, Cruise covered Elvis Presley’s “Summer Kisses, Winter Tears” for the soundtrack to Wim Wenders’ “Until the End of the World.”

Describing her musical style in 1990, Cruise said: “Technically this music is so delicate that it’s a challenge just to sing it. 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,” she added. “This, I can overact and get away with it. I can stylize it.”

Share this article:

Advertisement

• Consequence

R.I.P. Julee Cruise, Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet Singer Dead at 65

Cruise was also a touring member of The B-52's

Julee Cruise , who along with David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti, made up the trifecta behind Twin Peaks ’ and Blue Velvet ’s iconic soundtracks, has died at the age of 65.

Cruise’s husband, Edward Grinnant, shared news of his wife’s passing in a post to The B-52’s Facebook page . (Cruise was a touring member of The B-52’s between 1992 and 1999.)

“For those of you who go back I thought you might want to know that I said goodby to my wife, Julee Cruise, today,” Grinnant wrote. “She left this realm on her own terms. No regrets. She is at peace.”

“Having had such a varied music career she often said that the time she spent as a B filling in for Cindy [Wilson] while she was having a family was the happiest time of her performing life. She will be forever grateful to them. When she first stepped up to the mic with Fred [Schneider] and Kate [Strickland] she said it was like joining the Beatles. She will love them always and never forget their travels together around the world. I played her ‘Roam’ during her transition. Now she will roam forever. Rest In Peace, my love, and love to you all.”

Update: David Lynch paid tribute to Cruise in a video posted to his YouTube channel. “I just found out that the great Julee Cruise passed away. Very sad news,” Lynch said. “So might be a good time to appreciate all the good music she made, and remember her as being a great musician, great singer, and a great human being. Julee Cruise.”

Outside of her work with The B-52’s, Cruise is best known for her collaborations with Lynch and composer Badalamenti. Her haunting, ethereal vocals can be heard singing “Mysteries of Love” during the closing scene of Lynch’s 1986 neo-noir mystery, Blue Velvet , as well as on several songs from the original Twin Peaks soundtrack. Most notably, she appeared on the vocal version of the show’s theme song, “Falling,” which would later be certified gold (after selling 500,000+ copies).  Cruse also made several on-camera appearances on Twin Peaks as a singer at the Roadhouse, and later returned for an episode as part of Showtime’s 2017  Twin Peaks: The Return .

Cruse, Lynch, and Badalamenti also collaborated on two studio albums, 1989’s Floating in the Night and 1993’s The Voice of Love .

A cause of death was not immediately disclosed, but in 2018 Cruise was diagnosed with lupus, and complained of chronic pain, according to the Guardian .

Personalized Stories

Around the web, latest stories.

Travis Kelce Lands First Major Acting Gig in Ryan Murphy’s FX Series Grotesquerie

May 7, 2024

Michelle Yeoh to Star in Blade Runner 2099 Sequel Series

Wednesday Season 2 Expands Cast with Steve Buscemi, Christopher Lloyd, and Thandiwe Newton

Sugar, Baby Reindeer, and What It Means to Watch TV for the Twists

May 6, 2024

Prentice Penny on Black Twitter: A People’s History, Memes, and Elon Musk: Podcast

Jon Stewart Mocks “Anti-Woke” Comedians: "Are You That F*cking Unimaginative?"

Dua Lipa Hosts, Performs “Illusion,” “Happy for You” on SNL: Watch

May 5, 2024

Bernard Hill, Titanic and Lord of the Rings Actor, Dead at 79

• Action/Adventure
• Children's/Family
• Documentary/Reality
• Amazon Prime Video

More From Decider

Anne Hathaway's 'Tonight Show' Interview Hits An Awkward Snag After The...

11 Best New Movies on Netflix: May 2024's Freshest Films to Watch

John Green’s ‘Turtles All the Way Down’ Cameo Is a Treat for His...

Spider-Man Swings onto 'X-Men '97' — But This Isn't Just Any Spider-Man

'GMA' Weatherman Rob Marciano's Firing Sparked By "Heated Screaming Match"...

Huey Lewis Tells Drew Barrymore What He Learned About Bruce Springsteen...

Sydney Sweeney Sings “Unwritten” Into Glen Powell’s Butt in Iconic...

Holly Madison Calls Bob Guccione A "Horrible Person" For Publishing...

Share this:.

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
• Click to copy URL

Julee Cruise, ‘Twin Peaks’ Theme Song Singer, Dies at 65

Where to Stream:

• Twin Peaks (1990)

Musician Julee Cruise , who was best known for her collaborations with filmmaker David Lynch and composer Angelo Badalamenti, has died at the age of 65.

The news was broken today by Cruise’s husband, Edward Grinnan, who, according to  Guardian , commemorated his late wife on Facebook, sharing, “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”. The singer-songwriter had been battling systemic lupus and the chronic pain it caused her to feel for the past several years.

Cruise first broke onto the scene collaborating with Badalamenti and Lynch to create the song “Mysteries of Love” for Lynch’s 1986 neo-noir mystery thriller film  Blue Velvet , marking the beginning of what would become a successful, career-defining partnership. Some of the songs the three went on to create together helped to make up Cruise’s 1989 studio album, Floating into the Night , on which “Falling” appeared as the lead single. The instrumental version of the song became the theme music for Lynch’s cult classic mystery-drama series  Twin Peaks   and won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental. She also notably appeared on the series in a minor but impactful role as a roadhouse singer.

One of my favorite scenes of all time amplified so much by Julee Cruise’s beautiful music. RIP to a legend. pic.twitter.com/NaA0ldgJTZ — Jared (@Name112a7) June 10, 2022

Cruise continued to be entangled with  Twin Peaks  for years, even after the show’s short-lived stint on ABC from 1990 to 1991. Songs from her second studio album, The Voice of Love , were featured in Lynch’s 1992 psychological horror film  Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me , and she also appeared in the closing credits of  Twin Peaks ‘ 2017 revival, Twin Peaks: The Return ‘s penultimate episode to perform “The World Spins”.

A bright star floats into The Great Unknown. Always kind & gracious to me. A beautiful soul, a soulful voice. Her career had a tremendous influence on my life. Bless you, Julee Cruise, the voice of love. Thank you for the path you paved. I am forever grateful and reverent. pic.twitter.com/y8cuQv5RUG — Chrystabell (@Chrysta_Bell) June 10, 2022

Julee Cruise, forever inside our hearts. ❤️ Goodnight to the great singer whose ethereal voice is forever woven into the haunting sonic texture and mood of David Lynch's most evocative films. Here she is performing "Questions in a World of Blue" in TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME. pic.twitter.com/IeiMcMBMgT — Criterion Collection (@Criterion) June 10, 2022

This breaks my heart. I can't imagine Twin Peaks without Julee Cruise, the voice of an angel. She will be forever missed. 💔 pic.twitter.com/76xJYHZC9w — Ivan Rosenfield (@underthefan119) June 10, 2022

R.I.P. Julee Cruise “Ladies & gentlemen, direct from the roadhouse in Twin Peaks, USA, Miss Julee Cruise.” Cruise filled in for Sinead O’Connor on SNL when O’Connor refused to appear with host, Andrew Dice Clay on May 12, 1990. Cruise performed “Falling.” pic.twitter.com/2zbhbDBCjp — Chicago’s Best Bartender (@MikeVanderbilt) June 10, 2022

Outside of her collaborations with Lynch and Badalamenti, Cruise is known for her 2002 and 2011 studio albums, The Art of Being a Girl and My Secret Life , as well as for performing off-Broadway in jukebox musical  Return to the Forbidden Planet , touring on and off with The B-52’s as a stand-in for Cindy Wilson between 1992 and 1999, performing in Keith Haring’s 2004 bio-musical  Radiant Baby , and singing “Falling” on a 1990 episode of Saturday Night Live .

Rest in peace, Julee Cruise. You and your voice will be missed.

• julee cruise

Does 'Yellowstone' Return Tonight? 'Yellowstone's Season 5, Part 2 Premiere Date, Streaming Info, And More

Jenna Bush Hager Embarrasses Hoda Kotb On 'Today' By Asking Her If She's "Recently" Made Out With Anybody In Public: "Don't Lie"

When Will 'BMF' Season 3, Episode 10 Be On Starz?

'The View' Derailed As Brooke Shields Describes Benjamin Bratt's "Modesty Sock" In 'Mother Of The Bride'

Jenna Bush Hager Suffers A Meltdown While Giving Advice To Viewers During A 'Today' Segment: "I Just Can't"

Jerry Seinfeld’s Pop-Tarts Movie ‘Unfrosted’ Is Unhinged In All the Wrong Ways

• Updated Terms of Use
• New Privacy Policy
• Your Privacy Choices
• Closed Caption Policy
• Accessibility Statement

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset . Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions . Legal Statement . Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper .

Julee Cruise, ‘Twin Peaks’ singer, dead at 65

Julee cruise is best known for her work with david lynch on ‘twin peaks’ and ‘blue velvet’.

Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines June 10

Fox News Flash top entertainment and celebrity headlines are here. Check out what clicked this week in entertainment.

Singer Julee Cruise , best known for her work with David Lynch on "Twin Peaks" and "Blue Velvet," has died at age 65.

Cruise’s husband, Edward Grinnan, confirmed the news in a Facebook post Thursday night.

"She left this realm on her own terms," he wrote of his late wife. "No regrets. She is at peace. I played her [the B-52s song] Roam during her transition. Now she will roam forever. Rest In Peace, my love, and love to you all."

Julee Cruise, "Twin Peaks" singer, has died at 65. (Michel Linssen/Redferns)

Grinnan later told NPR that his wife died by suicide and struggled with " lupus, depression and alcohol and drug addiction. "

‘GENERAL HOSPITAL’ SOAP STAR JACK WAGNER'S SON HARRISON, 27, FOUND DEAD IN LOS ANGELES PARKING LOT

Lynch shared a video on YouTube when he heard the news about Cruise’s death Friday. 

"I just found out that the great Julee Cruise passed away," he said. "Very sad news. So, might be a good time to appreciate all the good music she made and remember her as being a great musician, great singer and a great human being."

Cruise was born in December 1956 in Creston, Iowa and worked with Lynch for her album "The Voice of Love," which was released in 1993. She then took a break from music, and her next album, "The Art of Being a Girl," wasn’t released until 2002. 

"It's not really about David or Angelo," Cruise told Pitchfork in 2018. "It's about how we're perceived as women and also how we love women. It's about how I watched my predecessors fight — Madonna, Kim Gordon, Kate Pierson, who is a god and a force to be reckoned with. We're not followers, we're front-runners. I came out of the womb with my fists."

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER

Cruise released "My Secret Life" in 2011. Aside from singing, Cruise did some acting on Broadway and was an avid dog trainer, NPR reported.

During an interview with Pitchfork in 2018, Cruise shared her own plans for when she died, saying her family has a cemetery plot in Minneapolis. 

Julee Cruise sings the theme song "Falling," from the pilot episode of the hit television series "Twin Peaks," 1990. (CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"We have our own great graveyard there," Cruise said, "but I'm not gonna get buried. I'm going to have my ashes mixed in with my dogs . They're gonna spread my ashes across Arizona, and Arizona is going to turn blue."

Editor's note: This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Janelle Ash is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital.

Katy Perry's 'American Idol' seat eyed by Jelly Roll

Ian Gelder, 'Game of Thrones' star, dead at 74

Ben Affleck skips Met Gala with JLo after 'unhinged' rant at Tom Brady roast goes viral

Tom Selleck danced with Princess Diana to avoid 'rumors' starting about her and John Travolta

'Outer Banks' star Madelyn Cline wore eBay jewelry to the Met Gala

Met Gala 2024 after parties see Shakira, Kelsea Ballerini ditching gowns for stripped down styles

Who's making headlines in television, music, movies and more from Hollywood to the Heartland.

You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter!

• Coping with Illness
• Death , Depression , Family , God , Loss , Love , Marriage

Share this story

Talking with Love and Understanding About Suicide

• Edward Grinnan

After a beloved wife’s decision, rejecting shame and embracing honesty

NOTE: We are saddened to announce that Edward Grinnan’s wife, singer and actress Julee Cruise, passed away on June 9. 

The morning after my wife, Julee, died, I awoke past 11 am. I’d slept through two alarms and several phone calls. I felt panicky. I hadn’t slept that late since my freshman year of college, and there was so much to be done. How could I? Then I let myself smile a little bit. Julee always admonished me that I didn’t get enough sleep. I think she was making a point. 

I noticed on my phone there were already several news alerts about her death from  Rolling Stone , the  New York Post  and  The Guardian . All attributed her death to a long battle with lupus. She’d recently announced on her website that lupus would bring an end to her performing career. There was also a message from the obituary editor at  The New York Times  asking me to contact him. I fed poor hungry Gracie then called, taking a deep breath and telling myself not to cry.  Keep it together.  Julee hated it when I cried. 

We talked about a few basic details—hometown, date of birth, etc.—then he said, “She died of lupus, I understand.”

I paused. “Yes, she had lupus since college.”

“You don’t have to list a cause of death, if you’d rather not.” 

“Lupus had made her life very hard, especially lately.” 

“I can understand that. It’s up to you, of course.” 

“Julee took her own life.”

Pause. 

“The cause of death was suicide then. I’m so sorry.” 

“She’d struggled with depression, like so many people. Lupus made it worse. But I want to be honest. She took her own life. It happens in so many families. It comes with so much shame.” 

We left it at that. Immediately I second-guessed myself. Is this what Julee would have wanted? Painfully, I decided it was. She always urged me to write honestly about my own life and struggles no matter where it took me. She would want me to bring that same openness about her life. Her brother committed suicide almost 11 years ago to the day, and I remember her saying how sad it was that people didn’t talk about it , didn’t celebrate his life the way they might have if he’d died of a heart attack or old age. There is so much shame attached to dying by suicide. It’s the only form of death that is a decision. Yet so many families have had to deal with it, often in silence, in anger, without help to understand it, without closure and acceptance and proper mourning. There were more than 45,000 suicides in 2021, the twelfth leading cause of death in the U.S.

It was Julee’s decision how she wanted to die, that she did not want to go on living with the pain she was carrying. I know she was at peace with God. She would not have done it otherwise. How she died will become a matter of public record, and I felt ashamed not being honest about that. It seemed disrespectful to all those families who have struggled with the suicide of a loved one to cover up how my wife’s life ended. Those deaths often leave so many questions, questions we are not always allowed to ask and are sometimes afraid to ask. 

It breaks my heart more than I can say that she is gone. We were married for 38 years. I still find myself talking to her. I probably always will. But I will never tell her what she did was wrong. I will never question her decision. She talked so much lately about wanting to be with her family in heaven, including the dogs she loved so deeply, whom she believed were waiting for her. She told me to take good care of Gracie, and she could love us just as much from heaven as from earth. I believe that. And yes, Jules, I’ll try to get more sleep. See you in my dreams. 

Here are some resources for suicide loss survivors:

— American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

— Alliance of Hope for Suicide Loss Survivors

— National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

A Journey of Faith

Embark on a moving journey of faith as Edward Grinnan, Guideposts’ Editor-in-Chief, shares his inspiring memoir on navigating his mother’s Alzheimer’s and conquering his own fear. A blessing for those facing trials.

Community Newsletter

Get more inspiration delivered to your inbox.

• More Coping with Illness

Faith and Blue Ribbons Inspire This County Fair Queen to Keep Cooking

Linda Skeens, acclaimed cook, baker and crafter, shares how her faith sees her through—in good times and bad.

Guideposts Classics: Naomi Judd on Stepping Out in Faith

In this story from January 2003, musician and author Naomi Judd recalls how faith led her to a successful career and helped her cope with a hepatitis C diagnosis.

Thriving Through Alzheimer’s

Discover how these positive people are seeing the blessings of every day while living with this progressive neurologic disorder.

'Twin Peaks' Theme Song Singer Julee Cruise Passed Away at 65 Years Old

Jun. 10 2022, Published 11:21 a.m. ET

During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Julee Cruise was a force to be reckoned with in the music world. Critically lauded for her collaborations with famed composer Angelo Badalamenti as well as respected film director David Lynch, Julee released a total of four studio albums and was most famous for singing the theme song for Twin Peaks .

Unfortunately, Julee passed away on June 9, 2022, at 65 years old, leaving behind an undeniable legacy as a successful music artist. With that being said, what was Julee's cause of death? Keep reading for all of the known details.

What was Julee Cruise's cause of death?

Unfortunately, a confirmed cause of death for Julee has not been shared as of the time of writing.

Her death was announced by her husband, Edward Grinnan, who wrote a post on Facebook, per The Guardian , that read: "She left this realm on her own terms. No regrets. She is at peace … I played her [B-52s song] 'Roam' during her transition. Now she will roam forever. Rest in peace, my love." (Julee had performed as a stand-in for the B-52s' Cindy Wilson during their tours from 1992 to 1999, per Rolling Stone .)

Although we cannot confirm Julee's cause of death, there is some context into her medical history when we take a look back at her past Facebook posts. One post from 2018 sees Julee reveal that she was diagnosed with lupus.

"I have systemic lupus," she wrote at the time. "... [M]y superstar doctor, and he really is, has tried his best. I can hardly walk, and now it's difficult to stand. I can't walk Gracie anymore. My spine is crumbling and pinching on nerves."

During a 2018 interview with Pitchfork , Julee said that dealing with lupus and steroids had left her with the "bones of an 85-year-old woman at 33" and that she had to take "mega amounts" of anti-inflammatory drugs to numb the pain.

"It's going to give me liver cancer before I ever die of kidney failure from lupus," she told the publication. "I’m f---ed either way, but I still look great [ laughs ]."

Our thoughts are with Julee's family, friends, and fans during this difficult time.

'Twin Peaks' Star Walter Olkewicz Passed Away at 72 Years Old

11 Times a Behind-the-Scenes Romance Impacted an On-Screen Couple (And Vice Versa)

20 Celebs Who Made Awkward Appearances in Music Videos Before They Were Famous

Latest Entertainment News and Updates

• ABOUT Distractify
• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Use
• CONNECT with Distractify
• Link to Facebook
• Link to Instagram
• Contact us by Email

Opt-out of personalized ads

© Copyright 2024 Distractify. Distractify is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.