Kyle MacLachlan — an actor who frequently collaborated with David Lynch — shared a lengthy, heartfelt tribute to his friend on Instagram after the iconic filmmaker’s death at the age of 78 on Thursday.

MacLachlan said of his career-long friend and collaborator, "I will miss him more than the limits of my language can tell and my heart can bear."

Forty-two years ago, for reasons beyond my comprehension, David Lynch plucked me out of obscurity to star in his first and last big budget movie. He clearly saw something in me that even I didn’t recognize. I owe my entire career, and life really, to his vision.