Who was Julee Cruise? Tributes pour in as 'Twin Peaks' singer and David Lynch collaborator dies at 65

Julee Cruise, the singer best known for her work with film director David Lynch in the late 1980s and early 1990s, passed away at the age of 65. Cruise is survived by her husband, Edward Grinnan. They tied the knot in 1988 and were residents of Manhattan and Berkshire. Her husband announced the news on his Facebook page, stating,

Fans pay tribute on Twitter

Julee Cruise rose to prominence as a popular musician, singer, songwriter, and actor over the years. Twitter was flooded with tributes when people heard about her demise:

Everything known about Julee Cruise

Born on December 1, 1956, Julee Cruise was well-known for her collaborations with composer Angelo Badalamenti and film director David Lynch on projects of note-worthy imports including Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks. During her career, she released four albums and collaborated with a number of performers.

Julee's father was a dentist, and she attended Drake University to study French horn. She began her career as a singer and actress with the Children's Theater Company in Minneapolis before moving to New York to play Janis Joplin in a revue called Beehive alongside Angelo Badalamenti.

Her most successful song was Falling with music by Badalamenti and lyrics by Lynch. The song’s instrumental version became the opening theme of the mystery serial drama television series, Twin Peaks. She also appeared on the show as a singer at the bar and her music was also included in the show and its soundtrack.

Her four albums were released between 1989 and 2011. Her first album was titled Floating Into the Night and the song Falling was also included in it, which made it to the 11th position on the U.S. Modern Rock chart in 1990. She performed the song on Saturday Night Live that year.

Following this, Cruise returned to Twin Peaks in 2017 for its third season. She appeared while performing a song called The World Spins. She then released an EP titled Three Demos in 2018, featuring the original demo versions of her most famous works like Falling, Floating, and The World Spins.

Julee's distinct vocal style has drawn the attention of various collaborators over the years, including DJ Dmitry and the bands Hybrid and Delerium. Her voice also features on Handsome Boy Modeling School’s song, Class System, produced by Prince Paul and featuring Pharrell Williams.

About the author

Anupal is a pop culture writer at Sportskeeda with a degree in Political Science. He developed a keen interest in the lives of celebrities, films, TV shows, and box office collections since an early age. After accumulating significant experience as a content writer across varied fields at companies such as The Indian Wire, DigiStatement, and QuirkyByte Media, he eventually settled on writing about his favorite genre - pop culture.

Anupal believes in conducting in-depth research while writing about any topic and relies on varied sources to ensure he produces holistic articles. He also often glances through content that was published in the 80s and 90s to gain a better understanding of the subject he is covering.

Anupal admires Robert Downey Jr., who played one of his favorite Marvel superheroes, Iron Man. He is inspired by the actor's resilience and the determination in overcoming past struggles to building a successful Hollywood career and admires the way he articulates his thoughts while speaking in interviews.

If Anupal could travel back in time, he would love to experience James Cameron's 2009 film 'Avatar' in a theatre full of fans. When he's not busy working, he binges on the latest OTT titles across languages.

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