Sam Neill dies at 78: Family says 'Jurassic Park' star remained cancer free before sudden death
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: Sam Neill, best known for his work in ‘Jurassic Park’, has died at the age of 78, his family confirmed. The tragic news was shared in a post on the late actor’s social media account on Monday, July 13.
Sam Neill's family confirms cancer-free death
The Instagram update 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. The loss was sudden and unexpected but blessed by the fact that Sam remained cancer free.”
The statement also expressed the late actor’s family’s 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,” it added.
Sam Neill reflected on death before passing
A few years earlier, Neill had spoken publicly about his diagnosis of angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
He reportedly said in 2023, “I’m not in any way frightened of dying. That doesn’t worry me. It’s never worried me from the beginning. But I would be annoyed, because there are things I still want to do.”
At the time, the legendary actor also said that he “started to look at my life and realized how immensely grateful I am for so much of it … I’m in a very uncertain world at the moment.”
Neill’s other well-known works include ‘The Piano’, ‘Dead Calm’, ‘In the Mouth of Madness’, and ‘Event Horizon’.
Sam Neill rejected celebrity label
Considered an “international leading man,” Neill once said that he would “like to think I’m able to suggest ambiguities and complexities in the people I play, because I think all of us have hidden aspects or contradictory qualities."
In 2022, the New Zealand star also revealed that he did not want to be seen as a celebrity. “I do hope I’m not a celebrity because … I think it’s two different jobs,” he said in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald.
“You can be an actor –hopefully a very good actor – but it’s another job to be a celebrity, and that’s one you can sign up for or not. And I never signed up for that. I’ve avoided that like the plague,” Neill added.
