Acclaimed New Zealand actor Sam Neill’s cause of death has been revealed.
Neill died on Monday at the age of 78, his family announced in a statement.
“It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney Australia,” the statement read, using the Māori word for extended family.
“Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterised his whole life,” it continued.
His family confirmed that his death was not the result of the blood cancer he was diagnosed with in 2022, as he had been cancer-free since April.
“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.”
The star’s agent has now confirmed that his client died of pneumonia in a statement released on Thursday, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
“As Sam Neill’s longtime rep, I spoke with his family and wish to clarify some details for his fans,” the statement from his agent of 19 years, Philip Grenz, said.
“Sam passed away from pneumonia. Prior to becoming sick, Sam had valiantly fought and beaten lymphoma through a new treatment called CAR-T therapy,” it continued.
“In addition to running his award-winning winery, Two Paddocks, Sam had filmed four projects back-to-back during the past year, all of which will be released within the coming months.”
Grenz also shared that Neill’s family is planning a private memorial at his farm.
“As Sam was an intensely private man who loathed a fuss, his family will honour him with a private family memorial at his farm in New Zealand at a still-undetermined later date.”
His family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to one of the causes he cared deeply about, including the Dunstan Hospital Foundation, The Snowdome Foundation or a local New Zealand charity or fund that supports the sustainability, protection and preservation of the country’s wildlife, like the NZ Nature Fund and Sustainable Tarras.
Neill’s death came as a shock to his loved ones, co-stars, and many fans, who rushed to social media to share tributes to the star, who lit up the screen in blockbusters like Jurassic Park as well as films like Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Possession, and My Brilliant Career. Others who knew him spoke to the media about his condition prior to his death.
His Wilderpeople co-star Rima Te Wiata told the New Zealand Herald that Neill had suffered from pneumonia in his final days.
“I think he would be like: ‘For goodness sake, I got over my cancer. And now look, now I get pneumonia. What next?‘”
“He’s on his big journey now,” she added.
His ex-partner, Australian journalist Laura Tingle, told ABC Radio Sydney 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, but I think it was just a bit too much to recover from one more time,” Tingle said.
Neill’s Jurassic Park co-stars Jeff Goldblum and Laura Dern both shared tributes on Instagram, with Goldblum posting photos from the film and writing, “The next great adventure begins. Love, always and forever. 🦕💕”
In her own heartfelt post, Dern wrote, “Sam was my beloved lifetime friend… He showed me the depths of loyalty, protectiveness, and love, always with the driest of wit. He was a true and noble gentleman, wrapped up in my dream leading man.”
“I will love you forever, Dr. Alan Grant.”
