Rebekah Del Rio, Who Broke Hearts in Mulholland Drive with “Llorando,” Dead at 57

The singer-songwriter Rebekah Del Rio, who achieved cinematic immortality in David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive, has died at the age of 57 in Los Angeles.

The performer, whose albums include 1994’s Nobody’s Angel and 2011’s Love Hurts Love Heals, first met Lynch in the 1990s. Her performance of “Llorando” in Lynch’s 2001 surreal fantasy came about after the iconic director heard her privately perform the Spanish-language cover of Roy Orbison’s “Crying,” leading to a scene Lynch conceived during Mulholland Drive’s transition from failed ABC TV pilot to Oscar-nominated film. (Watch it below.)

Following Del Rio’s appearance in Mulholland Drive, director Richard Kelly enlisted her to perform “The Star-Spangled Banner” as “Vanessa Vera Cruz” in his wild 2006 opus Southland Tales. She additionally played the role of Pinky in the 2016 sci-fi film 2307: Winter’s Dream, could be heard performing in 2005’s Sin City, and composed music for the 2010 film Before We Say Goodbye, which featured another performance of “Llorando.”

Del Rio also appeared in Twin Peaks: The Return for a roadhouse performance alongside Moby, and continued making Lynch-themed appearances up until her death, including touring with The Red Room Orchestra Plays the Music of Twin Peaks for several years. She was also a mainstay at Lynch’s Festival of Disruption, performing in both 2016 and 2017.