R.I.P. Julee Cruise: Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks singer was 65

Singer/songwriter Julee Cruise released four albums and would frequently collaborate with other artists, including touring with The B-52’s off and on from 1992 through 1999. She was a stage actress who appeared on Broadway, and even played Janis Joplin in a revue called Beehive. But when many people hear the name Julee Cruise, the first thing they think of are her collaborations with David Lynch. Introduced to Lynch by his go-to composer Angelo Badalamenti, Cruise first worked with him when he had her perform the song “Mysteries of Love” for his 1986 film Blue Velvet. Badalamenti and Lynch wrote and produced more songs for Cruise after that, and she was featured in Lynch’s performance piece Industrial Symphony No. 1, which required her to float on a harness above a stage at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

Then Cruise became part of Lynch’s popular series Twin Peaks, which premiered in 1990. The theme of that show is an instrumental version of a song called “Falling”, composed by Badalamenti. There’s another version of “Falling” that has vocals by Cruise. Her songs “Into the Night”, “The Nightingale”, “The World Spins”, and “Rockin’ Back Inside My Heart” were featured on the show, and and she would also occasionally appear on screen as a singer at a roadhouse, entertaining the residents of Twin Peaks. That series was cancelled after just two seasons, but when the prequel feature film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me was made, she was in that as well. And when Showtime revived Twin Peaks for another season in 2017, Cruise was there again, shown on screen, performing “The World Spins”. Unfortunately, she considered the way her appearance on the revival was handled to be a slap in the face.

In 2018, Cruise disclosed that she was suffering from systemic lupus. Sadly, Cruise’s husband Edward Grinnan has confirmed that she passed away yesterday at the age of 65. Grinnan posted the news in a Facebook group dedicated to The B-52’s:

For those of you who go back I thought you might want to know that I said goodbye 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 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.

Our heartfelt condolences go out to Cruise’s family, friends, and fans.

Here’s a video of Cruise performing the vocal version of “Falling”: