July 16, 2026 / 7:45 AM EDT
/ CBS/AP
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Sam Neill, star of "Jurassic Park," "The Piano," and other acclaimed films, died from pneumonia this week, his agent told The Associated Press. Neill was 78.The actor's death in Sydney, Australia, was announced Monday by his family. He will be honored at a private memorial service, which is set to take place at a later date at his New Zealand farm, Neill's agent, Philip Grenz, told AP.Grenz said he was providing more information after speaking with Neill's family and following news reports "which contain inaccuracies and outright falsehoods." "Sam passed away from pneumonia," Grenz said. "Prior to becoming sick, Sam had valiantly fought and beaten lymphoma through a new treatment called CAR-T therapy."Neill shared his diagnosis with a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, called angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, in 2023, and said he was in remission in April.In the family's announcement Monday, they said Neill "remained cancer free" when he died. While they didn't initially disclose a cause of death, the announcement described it as "sudden and unexpected."
Sam Neill at the premiere of "Apples Never Fall" on March 12, 2024, in Los Angeles.
