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Beloved actor Sam Neill died on Monday in Sydney, leaving behind a cinematic legacy that ranges from blockbuster epics (Jurassic Park) to arthouse treasures (Possession, The Piano).
Now, Neill’s agent Philip Grenz has revealed the cause of the New Zealand actor’s “sudden and unexpected” death at the age of 78.
Grenz has stated that Neill died from pneumonia and that he will be honoured at a private family memorial at his New Zealand farm at a later date.
“Sam passed away from pneumonia,” Grenz said. “Prior to becoming sick, Sam had valiantly fought and beaten lymphoma through a new treatment called CAR-T therapy.”
“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,” Grenz 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.”
He added that Neill had filmed four projects “back-to-back” during the past year that are due to be released in the coming months. Two of those films include Godzilla v Kong: Supernova and The Last Resort, both which are in post-production.
In 2023, Neill disclosed that he had been diagnosed with cancer, describing it as “a ferocious type of aggressive” non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In April of this year, he revealed that he was cancer free after undergoing CAR-T cell (Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell) therapy.
CAR-T therapy is a form of immunotherapy based on an individual’s T cells and is used for several types of blood cancer.
Fans wishing to honour Neill’s memory have been directed to make donations to “one of the causes he cared about most deeply” instead of sending the family flowers.
The causes listed were the Dunstan Hospital Foundation in Central Otago; the Snowdome Foundation, a blood cancer foundation that Neill was campaigning for when he died; and any New Zealand charities working to protect the local environment and wildlife.
There have been numerous tributes to Neill from the film industry and beyond.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon paid tribute to Neill, describing him as “one of the greats”.
“He started out when there was barely a film industry in this country to speak of. For more than fifty years he took New Zealand stories to the world and his talents helped make our film industry into what it is today – one of our greatest cultural exports,” Luxon wrote on X earlier this week. “His work will be watched and loved long after all of us.”
“You are so loved and will be sorely missed by us all,” said director Taika Waititi, who directed Neill in 2016’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople. “Love you and see you soon, sweet Nigel,” Waititi added, referring to Neill’s birth name, which he told interviewers he had changed to Sam at school because there were too many Nigels in his class.
“Sam was exceptionally collaborative,” said Steven Spielberg, who helmed the first Jurassic Park movie. “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.”
Neill is survived by his four children and eight grandchildren.
Additional sources • AP