Washington [US], January 17 (ANI): Nicolas Cage paid tribute to 'Wild at Heart' director David Lynch, who passed away at the age of 78. He said that he "was a singular genius in cinema, one of the greatest artists of this or any time."
"He was brave, brilliant, and a maverick with a joyful sense of humour," Cage added, "I never had more fun on a film set than working with David Lynch. He will always be solid gold," reported Deadline.
In the movie, which was shot in New Orleans and Louisiana, Cage plays an Elvis-like character, Sailor, an ex-con, recently from prison who reunites with the love of his life, Lula, played by Laura Dern, who broke out in Lynch's 'Blue Velvet'.
The problem in their lives remains Lula's notorious mother (played by Dern's real-life mom Diane Ladd) who sends hitman and detectives on Sailor and Lula's road strip to get them back. The film also features Willem Dafoe, Crispin Glover, Harry Dean Stanton, Blue Velvet actress and former Lynch partner Isabella Rossellini, and Twin Peaks thespians Sherilyn Fenn and Gracie Zabriskie, as per Deadline.

'Wild at Heart' received one Oscar nomination for Diane Ladd (Dern's mother) in Supporting Actress.
The Cannes Film Festival has paid tribute to director David Lynch who was a long-time habitue, winning it Palme d'Or prize for Wild at Heart in 1990 and serving as jury president in 2002, reported Deadline.
Mourning the loss of a visionary director, the statement of the Cannes Festival on Instagram read,"It is with infinite sadness that we learn of the passing of David Lynch, a unique and visionary artist whose work has influenced cinema like few others. Winner of the Palme d'Or at the Festival de Cannes in 1990 for Sailor and Lula (Wild At Heart), then the Prix de la mise en scene (Best Director) in 2001 for Mulholland Drive, he elegantly presided over the Jury in 2002."
"He leaves behind a rare and timeless body of work, whose films will continue to nourish our imagination and inspire all those who see cinema as an art capable of revealing the unspeakable." read the statement, reported Deadline.
The filmmaker's family announced the passing of the director through a Facebook post on Thursday. (ANI)