Hollywood joins in mourning Sam Neill, the famous actor from the film Jurassic Park, who died suddenly at age 78. Fellow actors revealed he had been battling pneumonia before his death, after recently recovering from cancer.
After Sam Neill's family issued a statement confirming the actor's death on Monday, 13 July, describing it as sudden and unexpected, further details about his illness have since been revealed.
Rima Te Wiata, a New Zealand actress who worked with Neill on the film Hunt for the Wilderpeople, told the New Zealand Herald that before his death, Neill was fighting pneumonia.
She said that although Neill was never afraid of death, she believed he was frustrated because he had just recovered from cancer treatment. However, she did not disclose further details about his illness or how long he had been suffering from pneumonia.
In his 2023 memoir, Sam Neill revealed he had non-Hodgkin lymphoma and had admitted that he might not have much longer to live.
Nevertheless, earlier in 2026, he announced the good news that he had recovered from cancer after undergoing gene therapy that helped boost his immune system.
His family confirmed in a statement that Neill did not die from cancer but did not officially disclose the cause of death.
Neill's passing has brought grief to the global film community. Steven Spielberg, director of Jurassic Park, said, "I loved making every Jurassic movie with him. We will always be the Jurassic family, and Sam will never be forgotten."
Laura Dern, a co-star in Jurassic Park, praised him as a gentleman of elegance and honor.
Meanwhile, Jeff Goldblum said farewell, noting that Sam's new adventure has already begun.
Cillian Murphy, who worked with Neill on the series Peaky Blinders, described him as one of the kindest, funniest, and most gentle actors he has ever known.
Nicole Kidman also paid tribute, stating that Sam was one of the great actors in the industry.
Sam Neill was born in Northern Ireland in 1947, later moving to New Zealand where he grew up and began his acting career in the 1970s.
He rose to global fame with his role as Dr. Alan Grant in the 1993 film Jurassic Park, which became one of the highest-grossing films of its time.
Beyond acting, he owned a vineyard in Central Otago in southern New Zealand, which was another passion of his in his later years.
Source:channelnewsasia
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