Sam Neill’s cause of death revealed after actor’s years-long health battle

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: Sam Neill’s official cause of death has now been revealed after the actor died at the age of 78.

As per his representative, the ‘Jurassic Park’ star lost his life due to pneumonia on July 13. 

Sam Neill's rep clarifies 'inaccuracies and outright falsehood' around his death

In a statement, Neill’s spokesperson Philip Grenz told Us Weekly, “Since Sam Neill’s passing, several stories have appeared in the media which contain inaccuracies and outright falsehood.”

“As Sam Neill’s longtime rep, I spoke with his family and wish to clarify some details for his fans. Sam passed away from pneumonia. Prior to becoming sick, Sam had valiantly fought and beaten lymphoma through a new treatment called CAR-T therapy,” Grenz added.

Sam Neill's family to hold 'a private memorial' for him

The representative also went on to share that since the New Zealand actor was a private person, his family likes to respect it and will be holding “a private family memorial at his farm in New Zealand at a still-undetermined later date.”

“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 stated.

Sam Neill's rep asks fans to donate to causes the actor was close to

Grenz also mentioned in the statement that instead of sending flowers for Neill, people can make donations to “one of the causes he cared about most deeply,” like “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.”

This comes after Neill’s death was announced by his family in a social media statement.

‘The Piano’ star’s family had said, “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 Neill was cancer free at the time of his death

The statement also disclosed that at the time of his death, the ‘Possession’ actor was surrounded by his family.

“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,” it read.

Sam Neill revealed that chemo 'stopped working' for him

A few months before his death, Neill had opened up about his cancer journey in an interview.

He had told 7News, “I’ve been living with a particular type of lymphoma for about five years and I was on chemotherapy and the pretty miserable business but it was keeping me alive. Then the chemo stopped working. I was at a loss and it looked like I was on the way out, which wasn’t ideal obviously.”