Rebekah Del Rio, the singer in the iconic Club Silencio scene in David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive, has died. She was 57.
Del Rio died at her home on June 23, the Los Angeles Coroner’s Office confirmed. No cause of death has been confirmed.
She was born on July 10, 1967, in Chula Vista, California, where she began her career as a singer-songwriter. After rising to prominence in the San Diego scene, Del Rio moved to Los Angeles in 1989.
She first crossed paths with Lynch thanks to music agent Brian Loucks. After introducing the two, Del Rio performed for him and he subsequently invited her to take part in a scene for Mulholland Drive.
The song she sang during their meeting, a rendition of “Llorando,” which was a Spanish-language cover of Roy Orbison’s “Crying,” influenced the Club Silencio segment of the film. There, Del Rio emotionally sang the track and her character passed out towards the end of the performance. The moment proved that her character was lip-syncing, but in actuality, Del Rio sang the song during every take, 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,” she said. “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. David uses live mics when he’s filming, by the way. He’s always listening.”
Following the standout movie moment, Del Rio went on to lend her musical talents in films such as Southland Tales and Sin City. She also reunited with Lynch in 2017 with Twin Peaks: The Return, where she appeared in one episode to sing.
Del Rio’s son, Phillip C. DeMars, died in 2009 at 23.
