‘Twin Peaks’ and ‘Mulholland Drive’ Singer Dead at 57: Family Confirms Death of Rebekah Del Rio

Rebekah Del Rio, the singer-songwriter who delivered a powerful performance in David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive and later reunited with the filmmaker for Twin Peaks: The Return, has died.

Del Rio passed away Monday at the age of 57, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. Her cause of death has been deferred pending additional investigation.

“Just found out my Tia Becky passed away, and we literally just saw her on Father’s Day. So grateful the kids got to hear her sing, and also that I didn’t listen to her and secretly recorded the moment,” her nephew, Dan Coronado, announced her passing on Facebook, adding that she had a “God-given talent” for singing. “Her most famous song is titled ‘Llorando’ which is named after Roy Orbison’s song ‘Crying’ which I’m doing right now as I type this out. Thank you for sharing your beautiful gift with the world Tia. We love you.”

Born in Chula Vista, California on July 10, 1967, according to Variety, Del Rio began performing in San Diego before moving to Los Angeles. It was while she was working under a country record deal in Nashville, which she landed following her recording of “Llorando”, a Spanish-language version of Roy Orbison’s “Crying,” that she was introduced to Lynch in the mid-’90s. The late filmmaker asked Del Rio to perform the song and recorded her. That powerful performance went on to be featured in the pivotal Club Silencio scene in Lynch’s 2001 film Mulholland Drive, a reality-shattering moment that also featured leads Naomi Watts and Laura Harring.

“There were many takes. And with every take, I sang along, because I felt I had to produce that same feeling with the vibrato in my throat so the audience could see it,” she told IndieWire in 2022. “I also wanted the beautiful girls in the balcony, [the film’s stars] Laura Harring and Naomi Watts, to experience it live. They were present while I was doing my scene, so I sang to them.”

Del Rio would go on to become something of a musical muse for Lynch, later reuniting with the famed filmmaker for a performance of “No Stars,” her song based on one of Lynch’s poems, alongside Moby in Showtime’s revival series Twin Peaks: The Return. She also participated in touring performances of The Red Room Orchestra Plays the Music of Twin Peaks, and performed live at a charity event Mulholland Drive screening less than two weeks ago.

Outside of her ties to Lynch, Del Rio also sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” in writer-director Richard Kelly’s 2006 movie Southland Tales, and also sang on the soundtracks for the films Sin City, Man on Fire, and Streets of Legend.

Del Rio’s passing comes 16 years after the 2009 death of her son, Phillip C. DeMars, at the age of 23.