LOS ANGELES – Rebekah Del Rio,the singer and songwriter celebrated for her unforgettable performance of “Llorando” in David Lynch’s film,Mulholland Drive,has passed away. She was 57 years old.Variety confirmed that the Los Angeles coroner’s office reported Del Rio’s death, which occurred on Monday, June 23, at her home in Los Angeles.The cause of death has not been disclosed.

Del Rio’s rendition of “Llorando,” a Spanish version of Roy Orbison’s “Crying,” is widely regarded as the emotional high point of mulholland Drive, which was released in 2001. The scene features Naomi Watts and Laura Harring in the Club Silencio, where Del Rio delivers an a cappella performance of the ballad.The scene takes a surreal turn when Del Rio collapses, revealing the performance to be a lip-synced illusion.

early Life and Career

“David says to me, ‘Ding dang, Rebekah Del Rio, that was aces.'”

Rebekah Del Rio, of Mexican, Italian, and Sephardic heritage, spent her childhood in San Diego and began her career as a country singer before her collaboration with David Lynch. She had been performing Roy Orbison’s “Crying” as the early 1990s, frequently enough without instrumental accompaniment. “I would sing it a cappella because, oftentimes, the band would have a hard time with some of the chord changes,” Del Rio told The Guardian in 2022. Following the tragic murder of Selena in 1995,Del Rio decided to record a Spanish version of the song as a tribute to the Tejano pop star.

While living in Nashville and pursuing country music,Del Rio received a call from her agent about meeting David Lynch in Los Angeles. During thier meeting at Lynch’s studio, the director asked her to sing “Llorando” on the spot, recording the performance without her knowledge. Del Rio recalled the experience in a 2018 interview, noting that it lasted only “one and a half songs, two cigarettes, a cup of coffee.”

Collaboration with david Lynch

During the filming of Mulholland Drive, lynch initially wanted Del Rio to lip-sync to “Llorando,” but she insisted on singing live. “I say, ‘I can’t do that, I can’t mouth my own track. No! You won’t get the vibrato, I’m singing along,'” she recalled in 2018. She sang live during each take, allowing Laura Harring and Naomi Watts to experience the full emotional impact of the song.