Sam Neill, the amiable and adventurous leading man who emerged from New Zealand to make his mark in such films as Jurassic Park, The Piano, Dead Calm, In the Mouth of Madness and so much more, has died. He was 78.
The news was shared in a post on Neill’s official Instagram account.
“It is with immense sadness that the whānau of Sam Neill share the news of his passing on Monday 13th July, in Sydney Australia,” the post read. “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. 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.”
Neill revealed in March 2023 that he had been diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma a year earlier.
“I’m not in any way frightened of dying. That doesn’t worry me. It’s never worried me from the beginning,” he told the TV news magazine Australian Story in October 2023. “But I would be annoyed, because there are things I still want to do.”
