Isabella Rossellini, who appeared in two of David Lynch's feature films and was romantically involved with the filmmaker for about five years, posted a tribute to Lynch on her Instagram account. The Conclave actress posted a photo of herself with Lynch with the simple caption, "I loved him so much. Thanks for all your kind messages."

Rossellini only had a handful of credits to her name before being cast in Blue Velvet, Lynch's 1986 nightmare of small town America. Rossellini plays Dorothy Vallens, a nightclub singer under the violent and sexually perverse sway of a local criminal (Dennis Hopper). The role was a difficult one to play for any actor, but Rossellini handled it beautifully and made a name for herself in Hollywood.

The story goes, when Lynch first met Rossellini while in pre-production for the film, he commented that she could be Ingrid Bergman's daughter, unaware that she...