Lynch said in a statement, “Today I lost one of my dearest friends, Catherine Coulson. Catherine was solid gold. She was always there for her friends — she was filled with love for all people — for her family — for her work. She was a tireless worker. She had a great sense of humor — she loved to laugh and make people laugh. She was a spiritual person — a longtime TM meditator. She was the Log Lady.”
Coulson worked with Lynch as assistant director on his 1977 debut feature “Eraserhead,” where they began discussing the idea of a woman who carried around a log. She described her Margaret Lanterman character as the “only normal person on the show,” but qualified that she’s “had some trauma and bonded with this Ponderosa pine.” The ABC show ran for two seasons in 1990 and 1991.
She also appeared in Lynch’s 1974 short film “The Amputee” as a woman with both legs amputated.
Source: Catherine Coulson Dead: ‘Twin Peaks’ Log Lady Dies at 71 | Variety