Sam Neill has sadly passed away, his family confirmed in a statement.
The acclaimed New Zealand actor died on Monday, July 13, in Sydney, Australia. He was 78 years old.
His family shared the news in an official statement:
“It is with immense sadness that the whānau (family) 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,” the statement read via Variety.
“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.”
Back in April, Neill revealed that he was cancer-free after undergoing CAR T-cell therapy. He had been diagnosed with stage three blood cancer in March 2022.
Sam Neill is perhaps best known for his iconic role as Dr. Alan Grant in the original Jurassic Park trilogy. He later reprised the role in 2022’s Jurassic World Dominion.
Earlier this year, he reunited with co-stars Jeff Goldblum and Laura Dern in a Super Bowl commercial. More recently, he appeared in series including The Twelve, Untamed, and Apples Never Fall.
Neill also has two films currently in development that will now be released posthumously. He stars in The Last Resortalongside Daisy Ridley and Alden Ehrenreich.
He is also set to appear in Godzilla x Kong: Supernova, alongside Dan Stevens, Kaitlyn Dever, Jack O’Connell, and Delroy Lindo.
Our thoughts and condolences go out to Sam Neill’s family and friends during this difficult time.
