“Jurassic Park” star Sam Neill has died of pneumonia, his representative announced Thursday.
The “Jurassic Park” star, who was 78 when he died in Sydney, Australia, on Sunday, will be remembered at a private family memorial at his New Zealand farm “at a later date,” his agent Philip Grenz told Page Six.
“Sam died of pneumonia,” Grenz said. “Prior to his illness, Sam was bravely battling and beating lymphoma with a new treatment called CAR-T therapy.”
Grenz said she consulted with Neal’s family and released details about Neal’s cause of death following reports that were “containing inaccuracies and outright falsehoods.”
He added that Neil has completed four projects “in quick succession” over the past year, which are expected to be released in the coming months.
“Sam was a very private person who didn’t like to make a fuss, so his family plans to honor him with a private family memorial on their farm in New Zealand at a later date, as yet undetermined,” Mr Grenz said.
“I would like to thank those truly close to Sam for considering his privacy with the respect he has earned and the respect his loved ones need and deserve during this incredibly difficult time,” he added.
Neil’s former Hunt for the Wilderpeople co-star Rima Te Wiata said this week that Neil had been battling pneumonia before his death.
“It’s actually really bad,” Te Wiata told the New Zealand Herald. “I think he’ll say, ‘For God’s sake, I beat cancer. And now I got pneumonia. What’s next?’
“He’s on a big journey right now,” she added.
Neil was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer in 2022, but his family revealed that he was “cancer-free” at the time of his death.
Neil’s loved ones called the “incalculable” loss “sudden” and “unexpected” and wrote that he left “surrounded by his family” and “with dignity.”
Three months before Neil’s death, the Golden Globe nominee revealed he had recovered from angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma.
“I just got tested and there’s no cancer in my body, which is amazing,” he told Australia’s Network 7 News in April.
Neil quipped, “It’s time to make another movie.”
The “Peaky Blinders” alum played more than 150 roles during his illustrious career, and many of his former co-stars spoke out after his death.
“He was one of the greats,” said Nicole Kidman, who co-starred with Neil in the 1989 film Dead Calm. “It’s a joy to be around you.”
The 59-year-old actress added: “We met when we were just 18 and he took me under his wing and we remained friends forever. He was charming, kind, funny and intelligent.”
“He will be greatly missed and my heart goes out to his family,” the “Big Little Lies” alum added.
As for Neil’s love affair with 1993’s Jurassic Park, Laura Dern similarly called him her “beloved lifelong friend” in a statement to Page Six.
“He always showed me, in the driest of ways, the depth of his loyalty, protection and love,” Dern, 59, told Us.
She called Neil a “true noble gentleman” who was “enfolded in a man who guides[her]dreams,” before commenting on his personality by concluding, “I will love you forever, Dr. Alan Grant.”
“Peaky Blinders” star Cillian Murphy told Page Six that he “admires and adores[Neil]just as much.”
Neil has four children. That includes their son, who was adopted and reunited 25 years later.
