Mulholland Drive star Rebekah Del Rio has died aged 57.
The singer famously sung in the late David Lynch’s classic 2001 thriller and was part of a scene shot at the Club Silencio in Los Angeles. She also appeared in the Twin Peaks universe in 2017 as she performed alongside Moby in the reboot.
The star died at her home in Los Angeles on June 23. Her passing was confirmed by the Los Angeles Coroner’s Office, Variety reports, with no further details about her death currently known.
In Mulholland Drive, Del Rio’s character sings Llordando, a Spanish version of Roy Orbison’s Crying. She leaves Naomi Watts and Laura Elena Harring’s characters in tears with the evocative performance at the cavernous club.
(Image: Getty Images)
Del Rio’s character ends up fainting and it’s revealed she had been lip-syncing the song. However, the singer herself actually sung every take while filming so that it looked as real as possible in the movie.
She told IndieWire in 2022: “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.
(Image: Paul Bruinooge/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
“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.”
She added: “Because I am a natural-born singer, and I don’t know how to lip-sync, I sang along for every take of that scene. I’ve seen lip-syncing in a lot of films and television and have noticed the vibrato in their throats is not moving. It’s pretty apparent that they’re not really singing.”
Del Rio’s connection to Lynch continued for the rest of her career. She joined musician Moby in one of the roadhouse sequences in the Twin Peaks revival series – Twin Peaks: The Return – and sung at Twin Peaks events over the years.
Just two weeks before she died, Del Rio performed at a charity event screening for Mulholland Drive at the Philosophical Research Society in Los Angeles. Lynch won the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival for Mulholland Drive and got an Oscar nomination.
Del Rio also appeared on the soundtrack of Sin City, Man on Fire, and Streets of Legend. She also featured in Richard Kelly’s film Southland Tales, where she sung the US national anthem.
Fans have paid tribute to the singer online following news of her passing. One wrote on X: “This soul-stirring version of the Star-Spangled Banner will forever be etched in my memory,” and another added: “Rest in peace Rebekah Del Rio. There will never be anyone else like her.”
She had a son, Phillip C DeMars who died in 2009 at the age of 23.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
