July 16, 2026 — 3:04pmSam Neill’s management has confirmed that the much-loved actor died of pneumonia.Philip Grenz, Neill’s long-time representative, issued a statement because, he said, several media stories containing “inaccuracies and outright falsehoods” had circulated since news broke on Monday of the 78-year-old’s death in St Vincent’s Private Hospital in Sydney.Grenz said that after consulting Neill’s whanau (a Maori word for extended family), he wanted to “clarify some details for his fans”.Actor Sam Neill in March 2024. His death was confirmed on Monday.AP“Sam passed away from pneumonia,” Grenz wrote. That confirmed the report quoting Neill’s friend and Hunt For The Wilderpeople co-star, Rima Te Wiata, published by this masthead on Tuesday, that he had pneumonia shortly before his death.“Prior to becoming sick, Sam had valiantly fought and beaten lymphoma through a new treatment called CAR-T therapy,” Grenz wrote. “In addition to running his award-winning winery, Two Paddocks, Sam had filmed four projects back-to-back during the past year, all of which will be released within the coming months.”Those projects include The Fox, the feature debut from Danger 5 creator Dario Russo. The relationship fable, due to screen at the Melbourne International Film festival next month, features Neill as the voice of the magpie and Olivia Colman as the titular fox.Also due for release is The Last Resort, a romantic comedy from Miss Congeniality director Donald Petrie, in which Neill co-stars with Daisy Ridley and Alden Ehrenreich. Neill is also set to appear in the star-studded ensemble of Godzilla x Kong: Supernova.The fourth project has not yet been revealed, though Grenz suggested its producers were likely to go public “sooner rather than later”.One of Neill’s final performances is already out in the world: a commercial for the US cable provider Xfinity, directed by Taika Waititi, that imagines a world in which Jurassic Park was not beset by systems failure.It features a de-aged Neill and Jeff Goldblum driving through the dinosaur theme park as a tech guy plugs in a cable and normal service is resumed.Sam Neill in Dead Calm (1989), one of his best-known roles.Alamy Stock Photo“So we’re good,” Neill’s palaeontologist Dr Alan Grant says.“Well, this is going to be a lovely weekend,” Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm replies as they drive off into the T-Rex-free night.Despite the global outpouring of grief at his death, Neill’s life will be celebrated quietly.“As Sam was an intensely private man who loathed a fuss, his family will honour him with a private family memorial at his farm in New Zealand at a still-undetermined later date,” Grenz wrote.“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.”In lieu of flowers, Grenz asked those wishing to acknowledge Neill’s death to instead donate to one of the charities or funds he supported. He identified the following:The Dunstan Hospital Foundation: “Sam had a profound connection to the Central Otago community and was a passionate supporter of ensuring world-class health care remained accessible to the people of the region he called home,” Grenz wrote.The Snowdome Foundation: “As a patron of Snowdome, Sam was a tireless advocate for equitable access to life-saving blood cancer treatments including CAR-T therapy in Australia and New Zealand. This cause was deeply personal to him.”NZ Nature Fund or Sustainable Tarras: “New Zealand charities or funds that support the sustainability, protection and preservation of New Zealand’s wildlife, native bush and land.”Must-see movies, interviews and all the latest from the world of film delivered to your inbox. Sign up for our Screening Room newsletter.More:ValeSam NeillFilm & TV productionCelebrity lifeFrom our partners