Sam Neill, star of Jurassic Park, has died at the age of 78 his family has revealed in an emotional statement shared on the actor's social media account07:22, 13 Jul 2026Updated 08:16, 13 Jul 2026Jurassic Park star Sam Neill has died at the age of 78. His death comes months after he revealed he was cancer-free.‌Sam was best known for his role as Dr. Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park franchise. The New Zealand actor's career began in the 1970s and is comprised of over 150 roles from My Brilliant Career to The Piano to Jurassic Park to Peaky Blinders.‌His family released a statement confirming the sad news on his Instagram. It read: "It is with immense sadness that the whanau 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.“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.”In 2022, the actor had been diagnosed with stage three angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, which is a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It meant he took a short break from acting.However, earlier this year he had announced he was cancer-free after undergoing a new treatment after chemotherapy had stopped working.‌Following the sad news, comments of condolence poured in. Richard E Grant was among those sharing their thoughts. The close pal of Sam said: "Knew @samneilltheprop for 3 decades and finally worked with him on PALM BEACH in 2018. An officer and a Gentleman in the truest sense."Richard, who sadly lost his wife Joan to cancer in 2021, continued to share his gratitude to his late friend. He explained how he "guided and helped me through a very difficult time in my Life," before saying: "Sail on, kind Sir."‌Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also took to X to say: "Sam Neill starred in so many beloved Australian stories and he earned a special place in Australian hearts.“Wry and dry, thoughtful and laconic, Sam fought illness with the same dignity, humour and conviction that gave strength to his every performance. He will be much mourned and long remembered. May he rest in peace.”Another use wrote: "Such a good human, I shall put my dinosaurs out for him and open a nice wine. Thanks for being you Sam."‌And another third paid tribute to his Jurassic Park role, saying: "I‘m completely shocked right now. He was one of my biggest childhood heroes and the reason I wanted to become a palaeontologist. I don’t even know what to say. R.I.P. Legend."In the months before his death, Sam had revealed his chemotherapy treatment had stopped. Instead, he was given a cutting-edge treatment called CAR T-cell therapy, which genetically modifies blood cells, and this ended up saving his life at the time.The actor first announced his cancer diagnosis in 2023, saying doctors diagnosed him with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma the previous year. He had initially experienced swollen glands.‌He said in April this year: "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."Speaking to Australian network 7 News, he continued: "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."Article continues belowSam went on: "I've just had a scan just now, and there is no cancer in my body, that’s an extraordinary thing. I'm very, very excited that this can happen."He had planned to make another movie following his health admission.Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.