Catherine Coulson – the actress best known as the eccentric “Log Lady” on the beloved early ’90s television series Twin Peaks – has passed away at the age of 71.
Coulson, who had been set to reprise her most famous role in the upcoming Showtime version of Twin Peaks, had reportedly been battling cancer for several years.
A longtime friend of iconic director David Lynch, Coulson’s film career began when she was hired as an assistant on his first feature-length film, Eraserhead.
Lynch says he wrote the part of the Log Lady specifically for Coulson. The director issued a heartfelt statement just moments after news of her death went public:
“Today I lost one of my dearest friends, Catherine Coulson. Catherine was solid gold. She was always there for her friends — she was filled with love for all people — for her family — for her work. She was a tireless worker. She had a great sense of humor — she loved to laugh and make people laugh. She was a spiritual person — a longtime TM meditator. She was the Log Lady.”
Primarily a theatre actor, Coulson will be remembered by many for her tireless work with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Though to millions more, she’ll always be the Log Lady.
