Sam Neill’s cause of death confirmed after 'sudden' passing at 78
Sam Neill’s cause of death has been revealed after he passed away ‘suddenly’ this week.
On Monday 13 July, it was announced that the 78-year-old died 'suddenly and unexpectedly' in Sydney, Australia, while surrounded by his loved ones.
A statement posted to his social media account read: "It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney Australia.
"Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life.
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"The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free.
"They would like to express their deepest gratitude to the staff at St Vincent’s Private Hospital for their incredible care.
"More details will be shared later, but for now, on behalf of the family, we ask that you respect their privacy as they navigate this immeasurable loss."
Neill’s long-term representative Philip Grenz has now revealed that the New Zealand actor died due to pneumonia.
In a statement to Entertainment Now, Grenz said that Neill's family were holding a ‘private memorial’ for the star.
“As Sam was an intensely private man who loathed a fuss, his family will honor him with a private family memorial at his farm in New Zealand at a still-undetermined later date,” he said.
“I’d like to thank those who were truly close to Sam for considering his privacy with the respect he earned and his loved ones need and deserve during this immeasurably difficult time.”
Grenz also told the publication that Neill had filmed four projects within the past year ‘all of which will be released within the coming months’.
In his 2023 memoir, Did I Ever Tell You This?, the screen star revealed that he was being treated for stage-three angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma.
However, just three months before his death Neill announced that he was cancer-free after undergoing chemotherapy treatment and CAR T-cell therapy.
“I’ve had a scan just now, and there is no cancer in my body. This is an extraordinary thing,” Neill told 7NEWS at the time.
Speaking earlier this week, Neill’s ex-partner Laura Tingle said that his 'poor old body just sort of got a bit exhausted'.
"He’s been pretty sick for the last couple of weeks, and everybody who loved him has been willing him on from near and far," she told ABC Radio Sydney.
"But I think it was just a bit too much to recover from one more time.
"He’d had a lot of chemo and a lot of immunotherapy and, thankfully, it finally cleared him of the blood cancer that he had, but that left him pretty compromised in terms of his immune system."
Genz said that in lieu of flowers, his family have requested that ‘donations be made to one of the causes he cared about most deeply’, these include The Dunstan Hospital Foundation, The Snowdome Foundation, or any ‘NZ charity or fund that supports the sustainability, protection and preservation of New Zealand’s wildlife, native bush and land, such as the NZ Nature Fund and Sustainable Tarras’.
Neill enjoyed a career spanning more than five decades, rising to prominence with his role in My Brilliant Career in 1979.
He later starred in Dead Calm before appearing in The Hunt for Red October in 1990. He is perhaps best known for playing Dr Alan Grant in 1993's Jurassic Park, a role he returned to in later sequels.
His extensive film and television career also included acclaimed performances in Possession, Event Horizon, The Tudors, and Peaky Blinders.
Stars share tributes to Sam Neill
Steven Spielberg
The Jurassic Park director wrote in a social media post: “I owe a debt of gratitude to Roger Donaldson, Gilliam Armstrong, Graham Baker and Phillip Noyce for casting Sam Neill in the roles in which he was so brilliant that brought him to my attention and led to his playing Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park.
“Sam was exceptionally collaborative. It was a stretch for him to play a character who acted as though children were messy and smelly because this was the opposite of the loving father he was to his children. I adored making all the Jurassic movies with him.
“Along with Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, we will always have our Jurassic family and Sam will never be forgotten by us or his many millions of fans around the world.”
Jeff Goldblum
Sharing a still from the original Jurassic Park movie, Goldblum, who played Dr Ian Malcolm, wrote: “The next great adventure begins. Love, always and forever.”
Cillian Murphy
Murphy, who shared the screen with Neill on the first two seasons of Peaky Blinders, told Variety in a statement: “Like everyone who knew and worked with Sam, I admired him and adored him in equal measure. He was one of the kindest, funniest and gentlest people, and one of the finest actors…
“RIP.”
Nicole Kidman
Kidman, who starred opposite Neill in 1989’s Dead Calm, told the Sydney Morning Herald that she was ‘immensely saddened’ by the news.
The star added: “Sam was one of the greats, a joy to be around.
“We met when I was just 18 and he took me under his wing and we stayed friends for life. He was charming, kind, funny and intelligent.
“He will be greatly missed, and my heart goes out to his family.”
Colin Trevorrow
Trevorrow, the director of 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion, posted a pic of Neil as his beloved character, Dr Alan Grant.
“Sam Neill was a deeply soulful and beautiful man. He was a friend and collaborator at a challenging time, and his strength gave us all strength. I’ll remember him for his tranquility, his love of wine, and for the calm assuredness he brought to his characters. It’s not every lifetime you get to befriend a legend. Forever grateful,” he wrote.
Richard E Grant
Taking to Instagram, the actor shared a series of snaps of Neil with the caption: “Knew @samneilltheprop for 3 decades and finally worked with him on PALM BEACH in 2018. An officer and a Gentleman in the truest sense. Guided and helped me through a very difficult time in my Life. Pictured beside producer @deb_bal & @ladyheathermitchell . Sail on, kind Sir.
Claire Reid